After The Fact
by smshelton24
Summary: One year after Edward leaves Bella; and she has since chosen Jacob. He has helped her heal but she is not quite back to normal yet. So when Edward can no longer stay away from Forks, Bella finds herself his victim in a way she never even dreamed.
1. Chapter 1: A Birthday for the Books

Chapter One: A Birthday for the Books

**Bella POV: **

7:30a.m.

Groaning, I push the snooze button again and then resume my aimless stare at the ceiling. I should be leaving for school about now but if anyone blames me for skipping today they can kiss my blasé butt. This day carries too much pain to tolerate the mundane tasks of high school life. This one day changed forever the person that I am, or who thought I was.

Happy birthday to me.

If you would've asked me when I woke up that morning, one year ago, where I thought I'd be now I would've said, "Immortal, ageless, perfect, and a vampire."

I never thought in a million years that Edward would abandon me, much less that any of the other members of his family, the ones who told me how much they cared about me, would allow it. But they each made their own choice to disappear from my life without a backward glance.

For a long time I allowed myself to believe that it was all my fault and it destroyed me, leaving me a shell of my former self. That is, until I let Jacob in. Of course it helped that now he was a card carrying werewolf, because he lived in the same world I did. Everyone else, my family and my friends were all oblivious. They had no idea the things that I knew, nor had they ever experienced the situations I had been witness to. And the fact that they thought I was crazy made me even angrier. Some days all I wanted to do was scream out everything that I knew about the Cullen family that everyone loved so much. But when it came down to it, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't hurt them that way, no matter what they had done to me.

As if on cue Jacob's telltale greeting came from outside my window with the tapping of a pebble against the glass. I couldn't resist grinning as I got up and went to let him in.

**Jacob POV:**

I halfway hoped she would be asleep, but then again I know her better than that; better than to think that she would be doing anything aside from remembering. Just thinking about what that asshole blood sucker did to her makes every inch of my body tremble with rage. I want to rip them limb from limb starting with Edwin's sparkly ass but I knew that would only hurt my beautiful Bella more, (even if she wouldn't admit it to herself) and that was something I promised that I would never do. Well, at least on the bright side his massive screw up brought her into my arms. So what can I say, his loss definitely my gain. He didn't deserve her anyhow.

Her face appearing in the window brought me out of my inner monologue. She slid the window frame open and stepped backward to allow me to room to climb in. I always love this part, and after a quick shimmy up the tree I leapt into the window and effortlessly landed on the balls of my feet. My pride was short lived now that I had a chance to view her more closely. Her hair was mussed up from having tossed and turned all night. Her beautiful brown eyes were heavy, ridden with sadness, and they held deep purple bruise like circles beneath them.

She shifted her weight, nervous beneath my gaze. Trying to spare my feelings no doubt, just like she always did. She didn't want me to know that he still affected her this way. But then again she never did lie well. Without hesitation, I pulled her into my arms and to the warmth of my chest. I silently kissed her forehead and reassuringly stroked her hair, tucking her head beneath my chin. Eventually the huff in her breath told me she was crying.

"It's alright honey, I'm right here."

**Bella POV:**

Sniffling, I pulled away and wiped my eyes and nose. "Sorry" I cringed at my own weakness. He wasn't even here anymore and he still had the ability to make me cry. I was supposed to be in control! I spent all night telling myself that I could handle this; that I'm over it. Good luck with that. Jacob smiled and gently kissed each of my cheeks, my forehead, my chin, and then finally my lips. His chivalry unnerved me, reminding me how much I didn't deserve him after all that I've put him through.

"Hi." He whispered, making me smile for the first time in two days, "Hey."

"I'm sorry." Why can't I stop apologizing? "It's just, everything I guess. From Edw-, from him leaving last year, to everything after that and now, with today. I'm just feeling very lost here."

He smiled sweetly, "I know it sweetie, and I expected that today would be hard for you so I'm here. I negotiated a day off from "pack duties" for us. "Come on." He took my hand and led me to the bathroom, turning on the shower water. When he was satisfied with the temperature he pulled the curtain and turned to me. He stepped out of his own shorts, and there he stood in all of his perfect glory. My eyes roamed his body, soaking him all in and I couldn't avoid the growing blush under my skin. But then I had a thought, "Charlie?" He shrugged, "Had to go in this morning already; some kind of disturbance." From the sparkle in his eyes I could almost be sure he was somehow involved in that. With that, he grabbed the hem of my shirt and lifted it over my head. He pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around behind me and unhooked my bra, kissing my shoulder. Then he dropped to a knee, tugging my underwear with him. Leaving a small kiss on my thigh, he stood and pulled back the shower curtain, helping me inside.

The warm spray felt soothing on my clammy skin. I backed under the spray, allowing him room in the tub which was not a small feat. His form filled the small space but I didn't feel crowded. The heated radiating from his skin comforted me. After pouring shampoo into his palm, he began lathering my hair and massaging my scalp. He knew this was my weakness and the sensation of his hands in my hair caused my eyes to involuntarily drift closed. With his help shampooing then conditioning my hair, this mundane task has transformed into a cleansing far beyond what water and soap alone would have provided. Once my hair was rinsed clean he leaned in and placed a soft kiss at the base of my neck. I expected him to reach for more but he shocked me by pulling back. Then I understood. He was demonstrating to me that intended this intimately but not sexually. That he wasn't motivated by his lust for me. He didn't want anything from me, only to take what he was giving which only added to the intensity of the moment. He proceeded by adding a plentiful amount of body wash to my loofa and squishing it between his fingers he worked it into a lather. Slowly and painstakingly, he washed and rinsed my entire body. Once he was done, he reached down and shut off the water. A sweep of the curtain and immediately my whole body began to shiver. He wrapped one towel around his waist and used another to envelop me. Kissing me on the nose, he smiled "Well, I hope you enjoyed your shower but now you have to get ready. I think you can handle that part on your own. Just something comfortable is fine, jeans even. I'll leave you to it while I make sure things are ready for us but keep your phone on you so I can reach you, okay?"

I nodded, and with that he was gone. I stood there for a few minutes in just my towel just processing everything that just happened. And ultimately I reached the same conclusion that still haunted me, I really didn't deserve him. As the steam in the small bathroom began to dissipate I snapped out of my stupor and began getting ready. I combed out my hair and wrapped it in a towel, and then I headed to my room to begin getting ready for the day with Jake.

I found a comfortable pair of jeans and a soft blue cotton top. Jake loved me in blue; he said he likes the way the color looks against my skin. After blow drying my hair and brushing my teeth I heard the buzz of a text on my phone. "Right on time." I smiled, opening the text. As I started reading my smile faded and I felt ready to pass out. I sat down on the bed then read it twice more to make sure my mind wasn't making this up.

"Bella,

I've missed you more than I can say. Please meet me in our place so we can talk.

Forever yours,

E."

This was real alright now what am I going to do with it?


	2. Chapter 2: The Meadow

_**Thank you for all of you who have added my story to your favorites. Your support means the world to me. I'm kind feeling this out as I go and I pray that I do this idea justice. I had some extra time this weekend because my hubby is out of town so I'm grabbing some invaluable update time.**_

_**A Note: Please be aware this chapter includes some pretty intense adult themes, know the limits of what is comfortable for you and please, be safe all. **_

_**A/N: I do know own Twilight, or any part of its characters. **_

Chapter Two: The Meadow 

**Bella POV**

I just stared at the words until my phone timed out and went blank. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? Too many emotions flooded my brain, everything from sheer joy to utter hatred. My brain became so overwhelmed that I started seeing spots. I blinked and realized the death grip I had on my phone. I pried my fingers from it one at a time, took a deep breath and turned the screen back on. My fingers paused over the keys as if they themselves couldn't decide how to respond. Then conclusively they began,

"Dear Edward," Nope, too friendly for my angry side. Backspace and begin again,

"Hi asshole," Not that either, too brash.

I finally settled on, "Hey." I decided not to word vomit all over him until I received a more conclusive response, I owed it to myself to maintain some type of composure. Holding my breath, I dove in and pushed send before I could re-consider. There was barely moment enough to blink before my screen lit up with his incoming response. I found his elegant phrasing, and even in text I could hear his velvety voice. "I really would like the opportunity to speak with you. I know I don't deserve it but there were many things unsaid." It took everything in me not to spit back with, 'Well, _I _didn't get the chance to say much.' But with admirable restraint, I tapped out a concise response, "I can't be long, I have plans today. Where do you want to meet?" His response was quicker than I thought possible and before my phone timed out again I saw his response; two words that kicked me in the gut.

"Our meadow."

"Give me about an hour." Was all I could muster.

I returned to the bathroom and looked at myself in a new light. With Jacob, I loved myself, or at least I could tolerate me, but through the lense of all things Edward I always felt inadequate in every way. I smoothed my hair into the sexiest style I could imagine without being blatantly obvious. I also took a few minutes to add to some minor cosmetic touches. A bit of concealer to disguise the circles beneath my eyes, followed by a light gold shadow, a touch of brown liner and a quick brush of mascara to help my lashes stand out. I wanted him to regret his choice but I didn't want it to seem like I was trying too hard. That would defeat the purpose. I wanted to have as much of an upper hand as possible going into this. I know the affect he has on me and I have to be strong. _Just go, say your peace and then get out of there. No physical contact and keep a distance. _I quietly reassured myself.

I pulled on my boots, and then ran out to my truck. I dropped my phone down onto the seat and then thought of Jake. Picking up my phone, I tapped out a quick message,

"Chief,

I have a couple of things to take care of before our day can get started. I'll be ready in a couple of hours. I'll meet you at La Push and then we'll go do everything you have planned.

Love you lots,

Bells"

Once I received his one word response, "Okay." I turned on my truck and headed for the turn off. The entire way I fought the urge to turn around and run. To drive past the turn off and keep going until I reached La Push, where I would find Jacob and we could go on like his interruption to my life never happened. But no matter how much I wanted to I couldn't pass up this chance. The chance to say all that I've wanted to say since that moment in the woods behind my house. Before I knew it, I was pulling my truck off the road into a hidden alcove and putting it into park. I stepped out of my truck and braced myself for a long and tedious trek through the woods, when I was startled out of my skin by a familiar voice.

"Hello Bella."

I turned on my heels, my whole body frozen like a stone. "H-Hello Edward, I thought you said we would be meeting at the meadow?"

He grinned, "Well, I do seem to remember that you had an issue with lengthy travelling through the woods. I figured we could make a faster trip if we ran." I wanted to argue, what with my no contact rule and all, but I also knew if we walked it would take quite a bit longer, during which I would have to endure prolonged exposure to him and his wiles. So I steeled myself and walked over to him ticking it off in my brain: strike one, no physical contact. Without another question he hoisted me onto his back and we took off like a bullet from a gun.

The sensation took my breath away and like it always did, it left my stomach miles behind us. Once we arrived in the meadow and he set me onto my feet, my legs became jelly and my stomach threatened to betray me. He chuckled as a he guided me to sit on a fallen log covered with moss. I willed my queasy stomach to calm itself, and reigned in the anger that began boiling in my mind. I hated how weak he made me feel. I hated that no matter what I may have accomplished during our time apart he still made me feel like a child that he patronized to keep me from fussing. Breathing deeply through my nose I jumped in with both feet, "So? We're here. Let's have it." He grin disappeared as quickly as it came and his face took on a serious expression I couldn't quiet decipher. "I'm so sorry, Bella." When he didn't continue I stared at him, incredulous. "Was that it? Really? After all this time and everything you put me through and that is all you have to say for yourself –" He cut me off by throwing his hands in the air in surrender, "Hold on Bella, I wasn't finished. A little high strung aren't we?" Deep within my chest I felt a growl begin to grow, too much time with the wolves I guess. Strike two, maintain composure. This wasn't going at all like I'd thought it would. Or maybe it was and I was realizing that I still haven't changed. Then he locked his eyes onto mine and I was entrapped in his amber eyes the way I always was. I felt my attraction to him begin to grow and I knew it was him turning on the charms. I forced myself to turn and walk away from him, to put some distance between us get my head back on straight. It struck me as so ironic that the last time we were in this meadow my father could barely keep us apart but now I couldn't get away fast enough. At least that much had changed, and in that moment I was proud of myself.

In a moment he was in my way, blocking my path and the unreadable expression in his eyes had returned. I brushed his shoulder to push past him and but his form didn't yield to me the way it always had. His should was complete stone keeping in my place. Then he finally spoke, "You know Bella, after I left Forks I spent long time thinking. I thought about you and me and what we both wanted out of our relationship. I told myself my leaving was to protect you from my world, from all of the dangerous monsters in it. It was only after a lot of reflection that I realize that the monster I wanted to protect you from was me. "

His voice became gruffer as he continued, and he began to walk in a slow circle around where I stood. He was quite unobtrusive in his gait and I found myself too caught up in his words to really discern their meaning. "But quite honestly, I've been back for awhile. I've seen your relationship with that dog getting more serious. It's insulting how quickly you've let him steal your innocence, Bella. It makes me angry just to think about it."

That comment pulled me out of my stupor, "Wait a second, you've been _watching _me, watching _us_ when we're together? Oh that's low." In my anger I hadn't realized he'd drawn his circle inward and he was now only inches from me. My anger dissipated into fear when I saw the predatory gleam in his eyes. "Edward, what are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?"I slowly began stepping backward, unsure really of where I was trying to go. He smiled again but I didn't like this smile, it matched his gaze and I felt like an entrée, waiting to be devoured. He grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me a little with each word as he spoke through clenched teeth. "That moment was supposed to be ours Bella, and you've allowed it to be tainted. But I refuse let it get away from me again. You are _my _destiny, we were supposed to be married and I can't help but think you were supposed to be the mother to my children."

As he jarred my body with each minute shake the ball in the pit of my stomach grew until his words sunk in. In the back of my mind, another light went off; don't get to close, strike three. Then I understood his plan. Why else would we come here? In the middle of nowhere with no one else around to hear or see us? I turned on my heel and ran faster than I even thought possible for me. He actually let me reach the edge of the tree line before he cut me off. "Do you remember the day you found out what I am? What I said to you that day? Do you really think you could outrun me?" He pushed me back against a tree and kissed me really hard, suffocating me. I put both hands against his marble chest and shoved with all my strength but he didn't budge. When he finally pulled away I gasped for air rubbing my shoulder where his grip was sure to leave bruises. He smiled then without hesitation he brought his open hand back across my jaw and sent me flying to the ground, "Did you _really_ think you could fight me off? He reached down and gripped the collar of my shirt, tearing it open like paper, leaving my bra exposed. I turned bright red at this exposure knowing I picked this out to seduce Jacob later in attempt to lighten my mood. Edward sneered, "Wow, slutty much Bella?" I glared at him for stealing my confidence this way. This morning when I put this set on I actually felt sexy, imagining Jake's face when he saw me in it. With that thought not even out of my head he reached down and ripped the thin fabric from my body and my chest was completely exposed to him.

He reached down and ran his fingers through my hair and a piece of my memory triggered a moment of intrigue; remembering the feeling of him doing this very same thing to me when we were dating. In the late night hours up in my room, making out with him and feeling him run his cool hands through my hair. When I thought all I wanted was for him to make love to me. Reality snapped me back into the present as the sting of his grip lifting me off the ground by my hair burned my scalp. He attempted to kiss me but I turned my face away, then without hesitation he locked his lips onto the base of my neck where my heart beat pounded under my skin. I expected him to bite into my flesh at that moment but he didn't. He sucked deeply breaking my skin but never allowed his teeth to touch my flesh. He pulled his head back, licking his lips and smiling, "Bella you taste amazing, but alas this is not my goal today. That is for another time." He used his long fingers to break open the button and zipper to my jeans and leaving them falling loosely at my hips. As I've never had many curves in that department they quickly fell to my ankles. I flinched as he roughly groped me on the outside of my barely there thong before tearing it too away from my body. So that was it, there I was, completely at his mercy, bared and naked and unable to do anything about it. In the midst of the next hour Edward raped me repeatedly. During what was the be the last time , while held me up against a tree thrusting his body into mine I was beyond pain but I will never forget his words, "Think of it Bella, our child. I cannot wait to meet them." My only thought, over and over was "Jacob, where the hell are you?"

Once he was done and as he refastened his pants he smiled at me, as I lay injured and naked in the dirt, "Bella, now what will we do with your clothes? You can't very well use them now. I won't have you walking around naked; we have your virtue to think of." He unbuttoned his white button down shirt and threw it at me, "Put it on, we have to get you back to your dog, although I'm not sure that he'll want you know that you're carrying my child." What could I do? I took his shirt and quickly buttoned it over myself before he threw me over his shoulder and began our run back toward town. Tears streamed my face as every jolt only amplified the pain in my body. As we passed the alcove I noticed my truck was gone, "Don't worry about that, Victoria moved it to the library in town. You can have Jakey retrieve it later. For now I want to make sure he doesn't worry. Let's get you dropped off." With that he opened the passenger side door to his car and shoved me inside. A few minutes later he did little more than slow down to open the car door and shove me out at the turn off toward La Push, "Don't worry, I sent your dog a text, he'll know you're coming." At that, he threw my phone out of the window after me where it shattered on contact with the asphalt. The last I heard of him was the roar of the engine as his Volvo sped away, leaving me in a spray of gravel.

After a few minutes I knew if I didn't get up now I wouldn't get up at all so I forced myself to my feet and began the trek into La Push. It took me a solid half hour to limp my way down the all gravel road, losing my step every 10 feet or so and falling leaving my knees and hands a scraped mess. By the time I saw the little red barn like house I could barely put one foot in front of the other. Once I reached the edge of his yard I was bombarded with every exhausted emotion and I couldn't walk another step. I collapsed in a heap onto the grass.

"JACOB!" I screamed his name as loud as I could although I knew with his wolf ears he would hear even my whisper. In a minute his head popped out of the door, a look of confused terror on his face. "Oh my God, Bella!" He sprinted to me scooping me up into his arms and at that moment I passed out cold.

_Well that's it for this chapter. This is a long one I know but I didn't really want to write this into multiple chapters. I do welcome any feedback and reviews! I will try to update again to keep our story moving no later than next Friday, but definitely sooner if I can. For now I'm off to spend time with family for the rest of the weekend. Have a good evening all. _


	3. Chapter 3: The Aftermath

**Chapter 3: The Aftermath**

**As promised, here is the next chapter. As always, thank you for each of you who are following and reviewing my story. If I haven't responded to you personally, please know how much I appreciate your support. **

**A/N: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters that Stephenie Meyers has created. She owns it all and I'm just jealous .**

**Jacob POV:**

I sprinted the last half mile toward my garage at lightning speed and all I could think was, "She's gonna kill me, she's gonna kill me, she's gonna kill me." I promised no pack duty and I get caught up in a blood sucker hunt. I don't know what this red headed bitch wanted but we just can't keep her away. We chased her all the way to the Canadian border but she just _keeps _coming back. Why? But there's no time for questions that I don't have the answers to. Bella said she'd be here in about an hour and I was late, really late! It's been almost two hours and she was going to kill me! I expected to walk into my living room to find her sitting on my couch and awaiting my cleverly worded explanation of where'd I'd been.

I phased and quickly dressed in my cargo shorts and hurried into the house only to find it as empty as I left it. Sure, my dad was probably still at Harry's, but Bella should have definitely been here by now. Something wasn't right but I tried not to let my imagination get away from me, her errands probably just took longer than planned. _Then why wouldn't she call? _My inner wolf snapped back and I shoved him into the back of my mind. But still, I just couldn't shake that feeling. I slipped my phone from my pocket found a text from her already there. Wondering how I didn't hear it, I realized I don't care how and clicked to open it.

"I've done all that I need to do, almost there now." She replied.

I breathed a sigh of relief, finally glad to have heard from her. I unlocked the front door and ran to the bathroom to grab the quickest shower known to man or even wolf. No more than 15 minutes later I stepped out of the bathroom smelling much cleaner than when I walked in. But still she wasn't there._ "I know here truck is slow but dang!" _And that's when I heard it, Bella's voice screaming my name like bloody murder. I had to stop myself from barreling through the door and leaving it in splinters. I skidded to a halt and looked out. She laid crumpled in my yard, mere feet from the front steps wearing nothing but a white button down shirt. She had been beaten and by the looks of her much worse. My body began to shake and I had to rein it in, to gain control over my legs again and force them to move. I sprinted to her and scooped her up into my arms, she cried out in pain but then promptly blacked out cold; leaving her body like a ragdoll in my arms.

Then I caught wind of something that froze me to my core. I kissed her cheek and ran my nose through her hair, immediately the hair on my neck bristled. His smell, his stench was all over her and left me with no doubt whatsoever who had done this. It wanted to get the pack and head out to kill this asshole, but Bella was my top priority. Her eyes still hadn't opened so I took a few seconds to take inventory of every injury I could see. From blood in her hair then down along her jaw line a large bruise had formed. It was swollen and I was worried that her cheekbone might've been cracked. Continue further I found a blood mark at the base of her neck; it appeared similar to a bite, but not so much because I couldn't discern any teeth marks in her skin. I couldn't inspect anything along most of her torso because of the shirt she wore but her bared legs where scraped and dried blood on them confirmed my worst fear. That fucking bastard!

I worried who I could call because just any doctor may not be able to understand, to know the depth of some of her injuries. The only doctor I knew to ask would be...Should I even ask? _This is Bella, you pansy! Just pick up the phone and call him! We need to make sure she's okay. _I nodded in agreement and quickly found my phone again, then dialed the familiar number.

"This is Carlisle." To the point, I like him.

"Dr. Cullen? Something has happened to Bella; can you come to the reservation?"

"Has she been harmed, what happened?" I sighed exasperated, "Dr. Cullen this is pretty serious. There's not a lot of time to explain, I need you here. She has been harmed but I'm still piecing things together here. Can you come or not? Just you, none of the others; I'll send a couple of my guys to meet you at the treaty line and escort you in." With that I hung up and returned to Bella. She had yet to awaken and I was getting seriously worried. I didn't want to leave her to phase and call the guys so I made a quick call to Embry and Quil to let them know where to meet the doctor. Then I called Sam, "We have serious problem. I need you here as soon as you can be." He responded concisely, "I'll be there in just a few minutes." I heard the signaling howl that the doctor was now on the reservation and headed in our direction.

I was terrified of what injuries that leech left Bella with, I sat on the edge of my bed next to her, stroking her hair. She stirred but didn't wake, and moved her face into my hand, murmuring, "Jake."

"I'm her Bells, it's alright. I won't let him hurt you anymore." She settled back into sleep and I heard steps on the porch and a knock at the door. Walking into the living room I braced myself, calmed my wolf, then called out, "Come in." In stepped the doctor and with him Quil, Embry, Sam and apparently Leah and Seth had come upon hearing Quil's signal earlier. The group crowded into my tiny living room. Carlisle stepped forward, "Hello Jacob, where is Bella? What has happened?" I cleared my throat wishing this could be a private conversation, for Bella's sake, but knowing with all of the super sensitive ears in the room, that won't be possible. After a heavy sigh, I explained. "Bella has been hurt, pretty severely from what I can tell. She's lying down in my room. I found her in the yard about 10 minutes ago, screaming my name. She blacked out and since she has only partially stirred. And that leech, the mind reader's scent is all over her." Carlisle's eyes widened out of surprise, "Edward?" I could hear the rage vibrating throughout the room, as many different growls met my ears. I could see a heartbroken look in Carlisle's eyes but then he shoved it away and the doctor was all business. He retrieved his bag and followed me to my room. As the door opened for him to enter each one of the wolves leaned forward, in an attempt to see Bella. Before I followed him inside I called over my shoulder, "Everyone but Sam, please wait outside." And as everyone shuffled into the yard, I called for Sam, "Please wait here, I'll be back as soon as I can. We need to have a plan." He simply replied with a quick nod and I closed the door after me.

Upon seeing her state, Carlisle sounded as if he would cry if that even possible, "Oh, Bella." I quickly relayed all information I had, which admittedly wasn't much. "She's pretty torn up, doc. I've seen a number of bruises but my biggest fears are that her cheek bone might be broken and from the blood I think he, he may have...Um, he may have...Assa-assaulted her." He nodded, trying to maintain his composure. I helped him undress her and soon found myself shaking as we uncovered more bruises on her shoulders, her sides, hips and thighs. Carlisle began his examination but as soon as his cold fingers touched her skin, her eyes shot open and she shrieked. She scrambled away from him sobbing. I rushed to her holding her face between my palms, "Baby, baby, shhhh. It's only Carlisle, he's trying to help. I'm here with you. Calm down, look at me." Her eyes opened and tears streamed from them, down her cheeks as she looked into my eyes. The terror in them ripped my heart in two. She was speaking but it was a whisper, and all I could make out was, "Please, no more, please." Her sob gripped my gut so hard that I almost lost it right then and there. I focused my energy to speaking as gently as I could to help and calm her, "Bells, honey, he's gone. I'm here, and I'm not going to let anything hurt you. But we have to let the doctor find out what's wrong. Trust me?" She nodded, still sobbing. I pulled her into my chest and nodded to Carlisle, who was standing by with a syringe to sedate her. He deftly injected the clear liquid into her the muscle of her thigh. While she flinched at the sting but fairly quickly I felt her body relax and go limp. As he moved her to a lying position, I began to shake.

"Doc?" He looked up, "Yes, Jacob?"

"Please help her." He smiled grimly, "You know that I'll do all that I can."

"And Doc?" He didn't look away from Bella yet his hands stopped working, "Yes, Jacob?"

"You know we can't let this go, he _will_ die for this."

He was bereft but the doctor nodded his understanding, unable to speak.

I stood and placed my hand on his shoulder, "Please keep her calm, and sedate her if you have to, until I come back." I stepped out of the room and immediately sunk to the floor putting my head into my hands. "Sam, he beat her man, and he ra- he raped her too." I looked up to see the rage in Sam's eyes, "Fuck, Jacob."

"He has to die, Sam. The treaty is shit for him. The others we'll talk about later, but tonight we hunt. Oh and Sam, we hunt as a pack but this kill is mine." He nodded and we both rose, and then walked outside. Six pairs of wolf eyes glared up at us. In a flash, we both phased and Sam's alpha double timbre echoed in our minds.

"_The cold one, the telepath has crossed the line! He has taken advantage of Jacob's mate and beaten her severely. Tonight he dies."_

As realization of what he'd done to Bella rang through the group snarls of outrage ensued.

"_That fucking leech!"_

"_What gives him the right?"_

"_He has no fucking rights!"_

"_Yup, he's dead." _

"_QUIET!" _Sam bellowed.

All voices ceased and a couple of the others whimpered under the strain of his command. And with no further explanation needed, Sam bolted toward the Cullen's land with Paul and me immediately at his flanks and the hunt was on.

One thing was for sure, tonight that bastard will die.

**So, there you have it, Chapter 3. I know a whole lot really didn't happen in this chapter but I needed to have transition to where I'm taking the story next. I appreciate any feedback and reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4: Vengeance

Chapter 4: Vengeance

**I am so excited to see this idea progress and as always I really appreciate your support and reviews. With that, let our story continue. **

**A/N: I do not Twilight or any of its characters or themes. Stephenie Meyer owns it all and I'm so jelly. **

**Edward POV:**

After dropping my car off at home, I went out to hunt. I was rabid after being so close with Bella, after tasting her blood. Running my tongue along my lips, I taste the remnants of a drop of blood in the corner of my mouth and smile at the memory. This was _not_ helping, at all! I knew that no beast could satisfy my thirst. I also knew that there was a _slight _possibility that I may die today, so what the hell was I waiting for? There was a part of me that regretted hurting Bella. No wait; if I'm honest I'm not in the least bit sorry. My only regret _is _not allowing myself to feast on her blood, giving myself the ultimate last meal. She would never choose me so what the hell was the point of allowing her to live?

"_To torment him of course." _My inner beast smiled at imagining the dog's horror and his rage when he found her.

"_It will definitely make for an interesting fight. If I know his ego well enough, he'll want to fight solo. So kill him then once the battle starts between my family and his dog pack, but then I'll slip away and finally make the perfect meal of Bella. Then life will be complete. Hell I may even change her. Then she'll have an eternity of solitude to dwell on her lost love. The slut deserves no less. Throwing her innocence on that mutt; fuckin' harlot."_

As my inner beast finishes his rant, I find myself standing in the clearing behind the familiar two story house. A quick few steps around to the front confirms my hope to find the chief's police cruiser parked in the driveway. _I'll show that little bitch to defy me._ After easily snapping the deadbolt, I slipped inside and found Charlie napping. I didn't wait for him to stir; I sunk my teeth into his neck before he had time to even scream. Originally, I planned on killing Charlie, making this quick and easy as my grudge is not with him. But as his blood trickled down my throat, a new plan came to mind.

This one was so much more sinister that I couldn't help but grin at my cunning. Before I could drain his body completely, I forced myself to break contact with his skin and let his body drop to the ground and in seconds he was writhing on the floor, groaning mournfully.

I stepped back and just watched him, his body jerking involuntarily and for a brief moment I flash back to the gut wrenching days during my own change. Though I did need him to change, I didn't feel the need to prolong his pain. I knelt down beside him and began to bite him again and again, in multiple places from his shoulder, to his arms and one deep bite on his chest to help get the venom to his heart as quickly as I could. I know that our exertions today left her in need of time to recoup, and I had no doubt that Jacob would keep her on the reservation to protect her; so this gave me some time. I heard her coming before I saw her and when she stormed through the door, I was seated on the stairs and waiting.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Edward! You're changing Charlie, CHARLIE?"

I smirk at her, knowing she's seen my plan at the same moment that I decided this. "Yes Alice, I'm changing Charlie. She did always hate that she had to lie to him, this way he will know everything."

"That's bullshit and you know it! They're going to kill you, so why hurt her even further?" Her amber eyes glared at me and she looked as if she would lunge at me at any moment. I answered in just above a whisper, "She hurt me, Alice. She betrayed me, and this is my way of showing her how much. This will be an ever present reminder in her life, even after I'm gone, of the life she wanted before the charade is living now." I was snapped out of my reverie by her fist colliding with my face, the sound of cracking marble reverberating in the room. I flinch and groan, feeling the resulting crack heal in seconds. "You done?" She looked over at Charlie and understood that no amount of fighting with me would reverse Charlie's immortality. She walked over to him lifting him into the couch as he continued to moan and writhe.

Stepping back, she sat, and we continued to watch and wait. This is going to be interesting.

**Jacob POV:**

**As the pack ran, the hierarchy changed as I moved forward and Sam shifted to my flank. Every pack member felt the power shift. When I spoke in the pack mind the double timbre of the alpha command echoed back at me.**

"_**Quil, Embry circle the back of the house, make certain that he doesn't attempt to escape. Paul, Seth, stay at a distance, to round him up if he does get the chance to run. Sam and Leah, you two are with me. We round him up together but don't get too close and ultimately I kill him. No one else."**_

**I felt every wolf's acquiescence, and as we approached the Cullen's mansion I phased; seeing as how there was no one to translate. Rosalie and Emmett stepped out onto the porch. I could see the rage behind her molten amber eyes, "Where is he Rosalie?" Emmett shifted his weight, which seemed odd of a creature of his size, much less a vampire. "My patience is wearing thin, where is he?" Rosalie chewed her bottom lip, "He went to Charlie's house." **

**I didn't give her a chance to expand further, I didn't need her to. In seconds I was phased again and issuing orders. "Quil and Embry, you two, stay here and run a perimeter. Send the signal if he returns, Sam, Paul, Leah, and Seth, follow me." As if they could hear the conversation, Emmett stepped forward, "We're coming too." It really wasn't worth the time to phase and talk this out so I nodded and we all sprinted toward Bella's home. As we ran I attempted to prepare myself for what we may find, when suddenly, Embry chimed in.**

"**_So great Alpha, what's the plan?" _Paul laughed, "_Really? What other plan is there? He dies."_**

**The rest of the group gives a silent nod in agreement. As the house appears, and we slow to a trot and I phase with Sam and walk into the house without the need for knocking. I expected to find Charlie, dead, his body lying drained on the floor. I almost saw the image in my minds eyes before even stepping foot through the door. So what we found in Charlie's living room was a little shocking. He lay, writhing and moaning on his couch, I had never seen anyone like this and I couldn't quite understand what it meant. **

"**He's changing," Edward stood from his seat in the dining room, "It's almost over now. He'll soon be like me." I couldn't believe my ears; here I was trying to think through how I would help Bella cope with her father's death when all the while a different type of coping is needed. I couldn't imagine it, Charlie as a leech? This was unreal! I couldn't help wondering if there was anything I could do to stop, the keep Charlie human. **

"**There is no stopping the change; he'll be completely immortal in a matter of hours." Edward sneered, interrupting my train of thought. "Don't believe me? Tell him Alice." Suddenly the pixie stood from her seat at the top of the stairs. She spoke, her voice full of sadness, "It's true, Jacob. We can't slow it down and we can't stop it. Charlie will be changed soon." I returned my glare toward Edward, "You, outside. We have unfinished business." I then stepped outside followed my Sam. He grinned following me out into the yard, "I thought you'd never ask." **

**_What the hell did you do to Bella? _I spat at him in head. He gave a cool chuckle.**

"**I took what was rightfully mine." **

**A deep growl emanated from deep in my chest_. That was not yours to take._**

**Immediately my entire body began to shake. Within less than a minute my wolf exploded into the open and Edward and I between to walk in a slow circle, keeping one another at the same distance. **

_**You are one sick fuck you know that? What is your goal with Charlie here, why change him?**_

**He chuckled, "I appreciate your sentiment. And why would I not change him? For one, it'll show Bella the life she could have had. Two, this will get under her skin, when she realizes that even dear old dad can be changed and with the life she has chosen with you, she will never know immortality. Lastly, you realize what Charlie is going to want once he's changed, right?"**

**The realization of his sick motivations was the straw that broke the camels back for me and I lunged toward him. _All he wants to do is hurt my Bella, die asshole!" _My inner wolf roared as my body made contact with his and we rolled forward. Our combative struggle continued with an even back and forth motion. I dive forward and snap at him while he leaps back and swings toward me then takes his turn, lunging forward again. I bowled him over and slammed him against the ground; the momentum caused us to roll into the trees. A few seconds later, I felt his icy cold grip on my shoulder as he slammed me into the cushiony forest floor and dropping his fist on my chest; and I knew he cracked a couple ribs. I fought back the urge to let him hear me whimper. Smiling, he looked me in the eyes and spat, "You will never be strong enough to beat me. Know when to stay down." He stood and began walking away, raising his hands in the air like the arrogant son of a bitch he is. This is my moment. I phased back to my human form, completely naked and leapt to a standing position less than a foot from his back. In a flash I had him in an iron grip, and I smiled inwardly when I felt him gasp simply out of fear not out of need for the oxygen itself. In that moment I knew this is the last thought he will ever hear.**

_**Never turn your back on your enemy you narcissistic bastard. **_

**I looked up to see Rosalie and Alice hiding their eyes in Emmett's broad shoulders, knowing what was coming. And with that thought in mind, literally, and a swift and decisive gesture I snapped his head from his body and watched it fall to the ground. I walked away as the rest of my pack stepped in to finish the job. They ripped him limb and Sam quickly toss a lighter on the pile of broken limbs. **

**I'd never in my life felt more satisfaction than to watch that fucker burn. **


	5. Chapter 5: Breaking the News

**Chapter 5: Breaking the News**

**I'm sorry for not updating on Friday like I normally do but I got called into an all-day meeting with work. Thank you to all of you lovely people for reading, reviewing, and following my story. It lets me know that I may not be completely terrible at this after all, which makes me happy. The last chapter was pretty rushed and looking back, it definitely could have been better but progress never looks back so on with our story.**

A/N: As usual Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight including our yummy Jacob, blah, blah, blah.

**Bella POV:**

I was so cold, and no matter how I shifted, I couldn't escape the sweeping sensations of icy marble. My mind felt muddled and foggy, barring me from my ability to focus. Suddenly his face was before my eyes, the only thing in my line of sight. His Topaz eyes invasively caressing my body and I wished he would stop looking at me that way. Then in no more than a single moment his icy hands were gripping my shoulders, bruising my skin and slamming my body back against the trunk of a pine tree. Pine needles rained down onto us, catching in my hair, and causing the bark to bite into the flesh of my back distracting me, but only for a moment. Until I felt him force himself into my body and the only sensation I knew in that moment was blinding pain. I shrieked but as hard as I tried, no sound would come out.

Then the hands on my shoulders were shaking me, jarring my head against the tree. These hands felt all wrong, the warmth. The heat on my shoulders grew larger and my down along my side. Edward swooped down, sucking at the base of my neck harder and harder, soliciting a fresh scream from my lips. He smiled at me, my blood smeared on his white lips, then he finally spoke. "Bella?" Wait why am I hearing Jake's voice? "Bella honey, wake up. Come on, open your eyes for me. Look at me, Bella." Suddenly, the entire scene evaporated and I found myself in Jacob's room and he had me on his lap, caressing my face. Although Edward was gone the pain still resounded through my body and I couldn't stifle the screams anymore. I gripped the soft cotton of Jake's shirt as I half sobbed and half screamed into his chest, "Jake I am so sorry, he said he wanted to talk to me, then we ran, then he, he...oh God Jacob, I couldn't get away then he wouldn't stop and he-he-" I couldn't force words out through my hysterics. He pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around my shoulders, "I know baby, I'm here, it's over, he'll never hurt you again. Breathe." As I tried to drag oxygen into my lungs the air became thicker and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't swallow it down. " I-I'm sorry J-Jake I c-c-can't bre-breathe." He moved me onto the bed and took my face in his hands, looking deeply into my eyes, " Breathe, just breathe. In, okay good, now let it out. Beautiful angel, in again, okay now out."

After walking me through about 10 repetitious breaths, my body began to calm, freely allowing air into my lungs. The dizziness began to wane he swept my cheek with his thumb. "Good girl."

"I'm so sorry." Was all I could manage in little more than a whisper. "Oh Bella, baby." He gently moved me back onto his lap, flinching when I couldn't suppress a whimper. "You have nothing to be sorry for, do you hear me? Not a damned thing." He pulled me to his chest and tucked my head beneath his chin as I reveled in his warmth.  
"He was a vampire love; it'd be crazy to think that you would've had any way to keep him from taking anything that he wanted." I thought for a moment then a thought occurred to me. "Wait, you said he was a vampire?" He nodded and I felt him swallow hard." He's done Bells; the leech is nothing but ash now." I sat for a moment in disbelief. He'd always seemed so indestructible, to me. I figured it would upset me more than it did but the news brought with it an abundance of peace. I looked up into his deep hazel eyes and smiled softly," Thank you, Chief."

We sat quietly for a few moments, unmoving, until his phone vibrated and he shifted to remove it from a side pocket in his shorts. "Yeah?" I could only hear the mumble of a familiar voice on the other end of the line but I couldn't discern who was calling, so I listened instead to his side of the conversation.

"Okay, escort them in...No, only the doctor, no others...fine, one other but no more... Yes we're at home...Straight here."  
With that, he hung up. "Who was that?" I asked softly. He gave me a warm smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "It was just Embry. He was letting me know that Carlisle is on the rez and being escorted here; also that the pixie is coming with him." He eyed me carefully. My eyes widened in alarm and the panicked feeling in my chest returned,  
"No Jake, how am I supposed to face them after what he did to me?" In my fear I pushed my body to a standing position, my mind completely prepared to flee. But my legs were weak, so as soon as I stood and intense pain exploded within me, my body crumpled to the ground with a muffled, "Umph!" Jake clambered to my side, "Bells, honey, you're still healing, you need to stay in bed for now." His arms slipped below my body lifting me with no effort at all and returned me to my prior position, seated on the bed. My ribs ached and I was breathless but as he laid me back against the pillows and tucked me in beneath the blankets there was a whisper of a knock at the door. Jake called out a quick, "Come on in." The door opened and Carlisle and Alice stepped inside. The room was tiny and cramped but no one made a move to leave.

Alice stepped forward almost immediately and chimed, "Oh Bella! I don't even know what to say, I'm so glad you're okay!" As she reached to hug me, I flinched and moved behind Jake. She persisted until he held out a hand to stop her and she blanched, her expression wounded. "What did I do Bella?" I shook my head, "Nothing Alice, you didn't do anything. I just can't deal with being touched right now." She nodded, but I could still read hurt in her eyes. "It's a perfectly reasonable emotion, considering your recent ordeal." Carlisle piped in. "However I do need to inspect your injuries and verify how you're healing. I'll try to be brief." He turned to me, a serious expression in his eyes, "This would normally be a private exam but I need you to know that your well-being and security is of my utmost concerns. I would really prefer not to have to sedate you for this but I will if the need arises. Would you like Jacob to remain in the room?" I nod, wide eyed then I looked to Jake, "Stay with me?" With a quick nod he stepped to a small stool by the head of the bad and sat heavily, soliciting a groan from the stool in response. Alice quickly retreated to the living room to allow us some much appreciated privacy. Carlisle smiled at me as gently as he could, "Okay Bella, shall we get started?"

**Jake POV:**

The good doctor was thorough but very expedient, not pausing to linger on one portion of the exam. I sat silently holding Bella's hand the entire time steeling myself against the urge to lunge at the doctor each time she cried out or whimpered. A steady stream of tears soak her cheeks so I busied myself with sweeping each one away as it fell with my free hand. After about 35 minutes, he wrapped up his exam, without making a single note, of course. "Okay Bella, here is a refill for pain medication, they will make you sleep but that is, pardon the pun, exactly what the doctor ordered." After relaying some minor treatment add-ons, the exam was complete. She was trembling and shaken with such close proximity to a leech, even one as kind as the good doctor. I scooped Bella up and carried her stilled wrapped in her pile of blankets out to the couch. With the presence of the blood suckers on the rez, the entire pack was also crowded into my living room, restless and eager to see Bella with their own eyes. She answered their greetings with shy nods and whispers as I helped her settle onto the couch.

Silently I reminded the pack, "Remember guys, no touching and be gentle with her if you have to. Don't overwhelm her, and under no circumstance is anyone to bring up Charlie."

I met with each pair of pack eyes in the room and confirmed their understanding. Alice was doing all that she could to reign in her excitement. She sat on the opposite end of the sofa, practically bouncing in place. Gradually she inched her way closer to Bella wanting so badly to grab her hand but pulling herself back.

**Bella POV:**

Her eyes were alight with news, so I decided to let her off the hook before she imploded "Okay Alice, what is it?" She smiled brightly and began, "Well, I wanted to let you know that Charlie is doing fine, he's coping quite well not that any of us doubted. No killings, as of yet but Jasper -"She stopped when Jacob cleared his throat and quickly shook his head refusing to meet my protruding glare. "What? What don't you want her to say?" I stared down every wolf in the room but every one of them dropped their gaze to stare at the floor.

I completed the circle and ended up back with Jacob. "So?" When he still didn't answer I felt my temper began to rise, and with it I began to get up from my seat. "So help me God, if you do not tell me what's going on with Charlie..." Carlisle and Jacob both rushed to me, trying to get me to sit back down. "No!" I shrieked, causing Jacob to flinch, "Tell me, damn it!" Jacob sighed in defeat, "Okay honey okay, just sit down, please?" I repented and sat down splitting my angry glare between Alice's ear to ear grin (despite my outburst) and Jacob's contrite expression. He nodded to Alice, who turned to me.

"Charlie is a vampire."


	6. Chapter 6: Time Heall All Wounds

**Chapter 6: Time heals all Wounds**

_I'm still on time, it is still Friday right? Sorry everyone, I know I normally update a lot sooner than this but yea I struggled a bit with this chapter. I really wanted to focus entirely on Bella's POV this time around without throwing a bunch of other POV's in there. As a reward for my tardiness and last week's non-Friday blunder, this chapter is a little longer than mine have been. As always I appreciate those who are reading, reviewing and following my stories as your support is priceless to me. _

**A/N: The usual Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and I don't; if I did Jacob wouldn't have gotten so jipped. **

**Bella POV: **

"He's a what?" I was on my feet once and I felt Jake's had at my hips, but to his credit he didn't attempt to pull me down to sit again. Inwardly, I believed he was anticipating my explosive reaction to Alice's obvious joy. My anger shook Alice's resolve but she still attempted to keep her smile frozen in place. I spoke through clenched teeth. "Start explaining Alice, how the hell did Charlie become a…a…"I couldn't even finish my sentence. "A vampire?" Alice finished for me. My whole body began to tremble uncontrollably and Jake eyed me warily, "All of the times I lied to him, kept him in the dark, and hurt him repeatedly, all to protect him from this world. Now he's a part of it and you're _happy_ about it?" This time her smile fell, "Bella, I thought you would be happy." Her small voice quivered and she sounded as if she would cry if only she could. But I couldn't be bothered with that now, I was too angry. My mind was reeling as I tried to even imagine my father, soft spoken Charlie, as a blood thirsty vampire. My voice just above a whisper, I sat down, "No Alice, this does not make me happy. My father is now a leech how the hell will this make me happy?" Sighing heavily, I tilted over into Jacob's side knowing that there's nothing we could do to change it. Suddenly exhaustion overwhelmed me and my eyes grew heavy. "Can everyone just go, please? This is a lot to take in; I just want to be alone, with you."

Jake kissed my forehead and looked around the room, "Okay, you heard her, everyone out." Alice didn't move as everyone filed out, "Can I stay? I mean, I know you must have questions about Charlie, and I've missed you." I wanted to tell her to leave but she was right, my curiosity was getting the better of me. I sighed in resignation, "Fine, Alice, you can stay but not for long. I am really tired. "She bounced in her seat, smiling widely. It irked me how happy she was about this entire situation. I was just assaulted by her brother, after he abandoned me with his entire family in tow and I just found out that my dad has been transformed into a vampire, what the hell is there to be happy about? She interrupted my thought, "Well, you should know that he's handling it well. Surprisingly well, even. He's taking to our vegetarian lifestyle fluidly, not a single casualty. Although there was a very brief but controlled encounter with a couple of hikers in the woods, but no one was hurt. He cannot wait to see you; he has a lot of questions he'd like to ask you. When you're both ready of course." I didn't think I'd be ready for _that _conversation in awhile. I can only imagine, now that he knows, how angry he is with me for lying to him as long as I have been. But I have to face him sometime, I owe him that much. "So, Alice, tell me, where is he living right now? He can't possibly be staying at home with so many humans around, he'll kill someone Alice!"

"Bella, honey, calm down. Don't you think we of all people know this? He's staying with us while he gets the handle on everything. Only when he's comfortable and when we know he's stable will he go back to living at home. Jasper has been doing a fair job of keeping his mood swings under control, although," she chuckled, "he is distracted easily." I bit my tongue to keep from spitting a snide comment back at her, but I was done with visitors for now. "Okay Alice, thank you for helping Charlie, and I am hoping to be able to see him soon, but for now I really need to be alone with Jake; to rest." I quite honestly, couldn't keep my eyes open for another moment. I could see that she really wanted to push to stay but luckily she didn't act on it. She stood quickly, kissed me on the cheek and then with a quick hug for me from Carlisle, she ruffled Jake's hair, dodging the swipe he shot at her and then they were gone. I sat in silence for a few minutes, grateful that everyone was gone aside from Jake. He stood and scooped me up into his arms, carrying me back to his bedroom. After laying me down on the bed, he crawled in beside me, pulling me against his chest, "Okay you need to rest; please, sleep now." I was too tired to argue so I closed my eyes and slipped into a blissful exhausted sleep.

The days that followed, seemed to work in the same succession. Sleep, visitors, sleep; with a checkup visit from Dr. Cullen every few days which always included a least one other Cullen in tow. Gradually the nightmares decreased, replaced by strange wildly colorful dreams. I couldn't really explain them aside from saying that they were just flat out colorful. Flurries of color swirling about, like a cartoon version of a windswept cloud of autumn leaves; in many different bright shades. I was wildly attracted to them, although I didn't understand them. Gradually, they changed in minute ways until one day in the midst of the swirl of colors, I saw a form. A child stepped out from them, a beautiful child. With porcelain skin and eyes that matched mine, warm brown in color with small shadows beneath them. A pink blush tinted her cheeks but her skin sparkled as if it were covered in small flecks of glitter under the light. Her hair was an auburn gold, which fell in ringlets to her shoulders. With each dream she came closer, her mouth moving but I couldn't make out a sound. After a couple of weeks, I still could not understand what she was trying to tell me. Finally one night, she approached me, close enough that I could make out the sound of her voice. She was soft spoken, with a velvety voice that reminded me of someone. Once I understood her, I almost wished I hadn't. The words she had to say froze every cell in my body like a rock.

"Hello, Mommy."

I awoke with a start, unsure to scream or cry. Jake lay beside me snoring soundly, with an arm draped across my shoulders; smothering me with his heat. I delicately moved from under his arm, trying not to wake him. He had tended to me tirelessly and he really needed rest. He snorted and sleepily shifted to a different position. I sat up and walked to the kitchen, feeling a huge knot in the pit of my stomach. Billy sat on the couch watching his late night television. He didn't push me to go back home after hearing what happened with Charlie and Edward. In essence he took me under his wing, for which I was extremely grateful. I don't think I could face my empty house right now. He smiled gently causing those endearing eyes to crinkle, "Hey Bella couldn't sleep?"

"Bad dreams, really." Was all that I could offer in way of explanation; luckily, Bill was not one to push for more details. Not the way Charlie was, at least. I really had begun to miss seeing my dad, but knowing how my blood affected other vampires I can see where it just wouldn't be wise for now. I retrieved a glass from the cabinet and filled it with cool water; I sat at the table to sip on it. Part of me was completely starving, but the other part of felt ready to get sick. I hated the uneasiness that my dream left me with, but I didn't just want to sit and dwell on it. "Hey Billy, would you like some pancakes?" He shrugged, "Sure, I could eat." I smiled; living with guys definitely had its perks, always a willing stomach. So I set to work gathering supplies for my homemade pancakes. I had the batter made and half the batch done before Jake surprised me by wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. "What's wrong love couldn't sleep?" I chuckled at the greeting, identical to the one from his dad. "I couldn't handle another weird dream." He nodded, and proceeded to help by frying bacon while I finished up the pancakes. After about 10 minutes, the three of us sat at the table with a large stack of steaming pancakes and a full pack of bacon piled high on a plate. "Groceries do go fast around here, don't they?" I commented as Jacob swallowed down a huge bite. He grinned, nodding. "These are great, Bella, thank you. Say thank you Jake."He grinned at me with a mouth full of pancake and muttered, "Thank you." By the time I had my pancakes buttered and laden with syrup he had already finished a full plate and was helping himself to seconds. I grinned at him but as soon as I lifted a slice of bacon to my lips I was overwhelmed by the salty smell and my stomach lurched.

I warily placed the bacon back onto my place and sipped on my orange juice gingerly, praying that my stomach wouldn't betray me. "I think I need to go lay back down, I'm not feeling very well all of the sudden. You guys enjoy the pancakes." Jacob chugged his juice and started to rise, "Its okay, I'll go with you." We were both caught off guard by Sam's signaling howl. Inwardly I was grateful for it, this would give me a few minutes alone, to think. "It's okay Chief, go. They need you more; I'm just going to lie back down." He nodded and walked around the table to wrap be in a warm embrace, kissing the top of my head. "Okay honey, just call if you need me and I'll come straight home, okay?" A second howl rang out, and I kissed his chest through his shirt, "I will now go, that's Sam's call. It may be important." After one more quick peck on the lips Jacob turned and rushed outside, practically phasing directly from the porch. I smiled at Billy, "Do you _ever _get used to that?" He smiled back, "Not really, no." My stomach lurched again, but I didn't want to leave the kitchen in that condition so I started clearing the dishes. Billy rolled his chair over to me, placing a hand on my arm, "Don't worry about the dishes, Bella. You cooked, I'll clean up; plus you're looking really pale. Go lie down and try to rest. I'll see you in the morning." I didn't need to be told twice, the more time passed, the worse I began to feel. The many food smells were overwhelming my senses and I could feel my stomach ready to revolt. The rich smell of the butter and syrup made staying in the kitchen not an option, anyway. Taking my orange juice glass with me I made my way to the bedroom and sat at the edge of the bed, sipping it slowly. I finished my juice and crawled back under the covers and found the coolness of the sheets inviting against my clammy skin. Eventually my mind drifted back into a restless sleep.

The child returned in my dream again, much closer this time. Her eyes were sad and fearful which stirred something inside of me and all I wanted to do was protect her; to make it to where she didn't look so fearful. She spoke softly, walking closer to me than she had ever been in my prior dreams. "I'm afraid mommy." This filled me with alarm, "Why are you so afraid?" Tears streamed her tiny cheeks as she spoke, "They'll try to hurt me mommy, please don't let them hurt me. Please protect me mommy, I'm so scared." This time I woke up with tears soaking my pillow, but Jacob was nowhere to be found. Within minutes of rousing my stomach turned on me, and I had to bolt for the tiny bathroom in the hall. With nothing in my stomach but orange juice it didn't take long to come up empty, forcing my body to dry heave. I lay against the cool tile drifting in and out of sleep, only rising to lean over the edge of the small toilet and dry heave once again; which left my stomach cramping. I was roused by a voice from the door, "Bella, honey, what's wrong?" Jake stepped into the small bathroom, soaking a washcloth in the sink and dropping to sit behind me on the floor. Pulling my hair to the side he gently washed the back of my neck. I turned toward him, "Honey, go lay down you don't need to see this." Softly he kissed my shoulder, "I'm not going to leave you alone, what's wrong love?" Tears filled my eyes and spilled down my cheeks, "Oh Chief, I'm so scared." He immediately wrapped himself around my small body, "Bella, please talk to me, tell me what has you so afraid?" I turned around to face him as more tears soaked my face,

"Jake I think I'm pregnant."


	7. Chapter 7: When the Stick Turns Blue

_I have been absolutely overwhelmed with the amount of followers I've gained as well as your reviews and private messages, with just the last chapter. I appreciate your feedback and I promise to dutifully take it into account. I'm hoping to get a few updates done this week, because I'll have the house and computer to myself until Sunday. Due to a power surge seeking revenge on my husband's computer, he has confiscated mine. So after next Sunday, I'll be back to updating each Friday on my day's off. I'm hoping we can get things together for my new laptop mid-July. Fingers crossed! Okay I've babbled enough, thank you, thank you, thank you to all of my readers. Enjoy!_

**A/N: Nope, I don't own, it. Wish I did, but I don't. Stephenie Meyers owns all of Twilight and I'm jelly. **

**Chapter 7: When the Stick Turns Blue**

**Jacob POV:**

I hugged her to my chest, calmly stroking her hair, but all the while panic welled up on the inside of me; threatening to overwhelm my cool exterior. I unclenched my jaw and allowed a whisper to escape. And with all of the mental distraction clambering about in my head, my words displayed more terrified honesty than I really would have liked. "Are you sure?" I cringed at the noticeable quiver in my voice.

She started to speak, but instead clamped her mouth shut before turning a sickly shade of pale green, then she leaned over the toilet's edge as her body dry heaved once again. As she struggled I softly stroked her back, in a feeble attempt to comfort her. When she sat back onto the bath mat, a recent addition by her I might add, I wiped her face with the washcloth. "I don't know, Jake. First off, the weird dreams, then this child shows up in them and she starts talking to me. Then the smells from all of the food have become so overwhelming, and I end up nauseous; now this!" As she rambles, she gestures emphatically to our current orientation; her voice gradually rising out of fear, "What I am gonna do, Chief? I can't hurt her!"

_Wait._ That caught my attention, "Her? How do you know for sure?" She blushed, "It's always a girl in my dreams, so I just assumed. She's so scared Jake, she keeps begging me to keep her safe." Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears and that tore me in two. But then I realized we didn't even know for sure, but that was easily remedied, and I longed to give her that peace. Kissing her shoulder gently I rose to my feet, "One second, be right back love; don't you move." There was a question in her eyes, but she didn't push the issue. I rushed into my room, retrieving my phone, grateful for speed dial. I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited, listening to the line ring.

"Carlisle."

"Hey Doc! Listen, I hate to ask, but we need your help again. I don't really know how to say this, so I'll just say it. Bella thinks that she may be pregnant." Neither of us need me to explain that we didn't think that I was the father. I heard him gasp, pausing for just a moment then he reined it in and his all business front was back. "I'll need to examine her. Can you bring her here?" I nodded quickly, and then realized he couldn't see me. "Yes. I'll get her there within half an hour."

Returning to the bathroom, I found Bella standing in front of the mirror with her shirt pulled up around her waist. With shaking hands she caressed a visible bump between her hip bones. My wolf growled, _That thing appeared almost overnight! This cannot be a good sign. _She looked up at me and her eyes mirrored the same sentiment. "Jake?" I wrapped her in my arms. "Bella, honey, this is going to be okay. We will figure it out together. For now Carlisle would like to examine you to be sure and hopefully he can give us some options." She nodded, following me out of the bathroom. Once outside, I phased and lay with belly down onto the ground, allowing her to climb onto my back. Once she was settled in behind my shoulders and after she gained a tight grip of the hackles of fur on my shoulders I sprinted in the direction of the Cullen's home. I loved the freedom of running in my wolf form, and having Bella this close to me, fur to skin, at the same time made it even more invigorating. During our run, I sensed the zing of another wolf mind present.

_Hey Alpha, is everything okay? _Quil asked curiously, and I could sense him running to join us.

I shielded my thoughts and halted him with a simple, _"Everything is fine, Quil, as far as we know. Stay on the reservation, keep steady patrols, and alert me if the red head is spotted. Do not mention that we spoken, to any of the others."_ He stopped running and although he was still present, I felt him withdraw. About that time we were approaching the Cullen residence and in the glen behind the house I stopped near the back steps to let Bella down, and then trotted into the woods to phase. I grinned as she playfully whistled a cat call at me while I pulled my shorts up and slid my phone into the pocket at my thigh. I smiled broadly as I approached her, then taking a grip on her hand, we walked around to the front door.

We watched Carlisle approach through the glass entry way, greeting us warmly as the door glided open. "Bella...Jacob." He nodded toward us both stepping backward to allow us entry. I snuck a glance over at her and all humor was gone, where pure fear had taken its place. I brought her hand to my lips and placed a warm kiss on the back of her palm. She attempted a forced grin but failed miserably, clearing her throat and stepped inside. Esme, Alice, and Rosalie were all standing impatiently nearby, anxious to bombard her. I worried this would scare her off but at least she didn't run. She took each of their hugs with good grace and we were grateful when they finally left us alone with Carlisle. He guided us into the study, where we sat together on a large leather couch in the corner. After closing the door behind himself, he pulled his office chair to face Bella, "Okay, so let's figure this out."

**Bella POV: **

I couldn't wrap my mind around this, all that had happened within the last month and now, to top it all off, this? I try to bring myself back to the conversation, and I believe I just missed a question. "Wait, I'm sorry, I missed that. What was your question again?" Carlisle smiled warmly, "When was the first day of your last menstrual cycle?" He asks it in a complete matter of fact way, but inwardly I cringe when I realized that Jake would be privy to this conversation. It's not like I'd ever spared him from the details but this was not you're normal best friend banter. I blushed deeply and looked apologetically at him before answering, "Um, my days are kind of blurring together now, but I think...July eleventh?" I cringe as I answer, realizing I've asked rather than told him, "Yes, that's it, July the eleventh." He nodded quickly and I could see the mental check mark tick off in his brain.

_Yes, that means I'm late. I should have started on august the ninth, a few days before my birthday." _ I thought sharply. As much as I wanted to throw a clipped remark at him in response to his non- judgmental smile, I realized my anger was misdirected. _He's only here to help, _I chided myself. I wasn't angry at anyone, really, not even _him._ I didn't have it in me to hate anyone; I was too distracted with the current drama that was my life. I wasn't angry at all even, I was terrified. I kept envisioning this beautiful child behind my eyes, her face tear stained as she begged for my protection. Carlisle had me lay back on the couch, pulling the waist band of my sweat pants down a bit to examine the growing bulge between my hips. _Is it me, or had it grown since I looked at last? _He gently pushed against the bump and to my shock I felt a nudge inside of me. I gripped my stomach and cried out, half sitting up in my fear.

Carlisle's eyes lit up with concern, "I'm sorry Bella, was that painful?"

I lay back, "Um no, I think I just felt something move inside of me." The shock registered and immediately Jake was on his feet, on high alert. He stood there shaking as Dr. Cullen began to work more quickly, pushing in a few more places on my abdomen. He stood, and excused himself quickly returning with a portable ultrasound machine. In the back of my mind I wondered how he got it but the thought was gone as quickly as it came. He squirted a cool glob onto my stomach, and massaged the end of the wand to spread the gel. Our ears were suddenly filled with the sound of a racing heartbeat, which I thought could easily have been my own because my heart was in my throat. But mine was there to, sounding lazy and sluggish compared to this frantic beat. The screen lit up with a black and white image, shifting minutely every few moments. As the doctor redirected the wand he sighed grimly.

"Okay, Bella, it appears you are most definitely pregnant. My concern is that even with it being so early in your pregnancy, that the fetus appears to be growing rapidly. It appears that in just a matter of weeks we're seeing months of development here, and from what I can tell it appears you are well into your second trimester, close to 16 weeks, as far as I can tell. I'll take some more measurement to pin point as precise of a number as we can, but considering how quickly the progress has been so far, we have no way to know how fast this gestation will take to reach full term. If that's what you want of course. " Tears sprang to my eyes and spilled down over my cheeks. As he directed the wand to explain the visible body parts, a sob escaped my throat and I hiccupped softly. I jumped at the warmth of Jake's hand sliding into mine, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. After taking quite a few more measurements, he wiped my belly clean with a warm, moistened towel. Moving back, he nodded for me to sit up and Jake quickly sank down into the couch beside me wrapping one arm around me and pulling me into his side. After stowing the portable unit in the corner, I forced my emotional train wreck back under control.

Carlisle returned to his chair and leaned forward to meet my eyes, "Bella, as a doctor I need to make sure you're aware of the options you have here, there are alternatives." I struggled to grasp his meaning, until the child's plea rang in my ears. _'They'll want to hurt me, mommy. Please don't let them hurt me; protect me mommy, I'm so scared." _Then the meaning behind his words slapped me in the face. I couldn't even speak, so I sat silent as Jake began asking questions. Questions I didn't want to hear.

"What options?" I detected a hint of hope in his voice, my dear, dear, naive Jacob. Carlisle responded matter of factly again, "Well, there's either birth or abortion. If need be, once born the child can be raised by a loving vampire family. Immortal children can definitely be a handful for even vampires." I was right; I _didn't _want to hear these questions. My blood began to boil with rage and I stood and stormed out, refusing to be involved in this conversation. I always thought of myself as a pro-life all the way type person, but then again I never considered the baby I'd carry would be a result of sexual assault by a vampire either. Then I began to wonder, "_Was this what Jake intended when he brought us here"? _I was fully aware of my use of the word, "us" rather than "me".

What confused me the most is that I remembered reading about these types of things in my obsessive vampire research soon after meeting Edward, incubus was it? Women who conceived from relations with a demon? I never really got very far into the research because at that point I would normally shut off the computer out of intimidation. I cursed my trademarked wimpy nature and I stomped out onto the back porch, breathing in the scent of the trees. A smell that was always a source of tranquility and calm for me was now a trigger for the worst day of my life, the day in the meadow. I groaned and kicked the trunk of a tree standing nearby and when it didn't give I swore grabbing my ankle. Surely, only I would come out here to vent and break a toe on a defenseless tree.

"Sorry" I mumbled. Cursing inwardly I stomped further into the woods, trying to get some space from the house and everyone in it, away from that cursed ultrasound machine, and Jacob's questions. Subconsciously I found myself stroking my growing baby bump, sure of what I wanted but not so sure how to accomplish it. There was no way I'd let them hurt her, I had to protect her; I promised. Apparently, I would be her only defense and I wouldn't allow anyone to hurt my baby. I found myself walking along the edge of the river, careful to avoid getting too close. Knowing my clumsiness, I would topple right over and drown the both of us. I chuckled to myself for a moment but stopped abruptly when something caught the corner of my eye; a bright flash of color streaking by me to my left. Every cell in my body went on high alert and I started to run back toward the house, but she was faster. I took the last turn toward the house and stood face to face with the blazing, blood red eyes of a vampire. Her bright red-orange curls swirling about her face as the breeze caught up with her. I knew there was no way that I would get past her so I tried for polite.

"Why, hello Victoria."

_I was hoping to really get this posted last night however I literally did not sleep last night so I didn't want to do a half ass edit on it. I'm happy because late last night the next phase of the story became clear and I am SO excited about how this is going to phase out. _


	8. Chapter 8: Esme's Isle

**I would like to thank you to each of you, my readers as well as those who are reviewing and following my story. Today I wanted to especially thank two people. **

**_Melody-Rose-20_, thank you for your continued support and encouragement through PM's and reviews. It's not lost on me and I'm tempted to recruit you as my Beta ;p**

**_Angel Marie Winchester_, thank you for your compliment of my writing. But primarily for your candid and honest review; I appreciate your perspective as it provides me with a view outside of my own. **

**As a rape survivor myself, I have found this story to be very cathartic for me. There are so few of these stories because rape as a dirty word in our society, shunned and ignored. And of the stories that I have found, there hasn't been one yet that (in my humble opinion) really sheds an honest light on the real struggle in the aftermath of sexual assault. I am grateful that, even with my attack, that I was not personally faced with the heart wrenching conflict that I'm subjecting Bella to in this story, conceiving during her attack. I'm not going to interject my personal opinion on this because it's irrelevant to the story, but I say all of this to recognize that the aftermath is different for every survivor. Even the core values that you believe are so decided and steadfast within yourself are tested; and the choice that may be right for one, is not necessarily best for everyone else. I think Bella may surprise you, but this is also to say that not every story (fiction or real life) will have a happy, white picket fence wrap up at the end. **

**Like I said at the start of the second chapter, I will do my very best to do this concept justice and to give both Bella and Jacob the happiness I know we all wish for them. Okay, this note has gotten too long already so with that I'll shut up and allow you to get back to the story. **

**A/N: I don't own any part of twilight; blah, blah, blah. **

**Chapter Eight: Esme's Isle **

**Victoria POV: **

Ever since the day that I stood in the woods watching my beloved Edward get slaughtered by that dog, I had been watching and waiting on my chance for revenge on this girl, this Bella. She really had a knack for screwing things up for me, first with James then with Edward. I thought I finally had happiness. We travelled the world together and even spent a few months on an exotic island Edward said his dad had apparently gifted to his wife. It was utterly amazing, until he insisted on coming back to check on this little wench and through her wiles she seduced him. Apparently no one else saw her for the slut that she was, and they blamed it all on my sweet Edward. Now he's gone, and I'm left alone again. But when I heard the news that Bella is carrying his child I saw a glimmer of hope that I could keep a hold on some part of my love. She really made it just that easy when she walked off into the woods alone, so I scooped her up. I had a plan, and it would be simple enough. I would take her away until the baby was born, then I would kill her and raise the child as my own. I would have a piece of Edward to keep with me forever. As of now, we were sitting on a plane on our way to the most reclusive place I could think of; a place where no one would know to look for her for awhile, Esme's Island. Bella sat beside me on the plane and had yet to even say word one to me. She just sat there with this dumb struck look on her face. We had been on the lam for about five hours and I could only grin when I think about the panic going on back in Forks. Oh, to be a fly on that wall.

**Jacob POV: **

"What the hell do you mean you can't find her?" I bellowed at my pack, who sat just outside the door to the Cullen's home. Each one quivered visibly under the weight of my wrath. "We've been tracking this red headed bitch for months and all of the sudden you can't seem to locate a trail!"

I slammed my fist into a tree, feeling the wide truck crack beneath the pressure of my blow. This whole situation was surreal. First we find out Bella's carrying some kind of demon spawn, which is terrifying enough without her having been stolen away by a vindictive leech that we know wants nothing more than to see my Bella suffer. My wolf's rants became worse as more time passed. We were both livid after we found that leech's stench so close to the house. My wolf stalked back and forth, fuming at the thought of my Bella in the hands of that fucking leech.

_We have to get to her before something else happens! She has already been through so much; we have to protect our mate! _

Honestly, I had no clue of where else to go; the pack had been running non-stop patrols seeking any sign of either of them but with no result. I refused to stop looking, and in my desperation I'd even convinced the council to agree to an understanding with the Cullen's to allow them to cross the treaty lines, and also to allow them to invite more to join in the search. In fact, even Charlie was involved. It was freaky seeing him as vampire but I knew no one else would have the same drive to find her, aside from him and me. We'd spent a lot of time together lately, me answering all of the different questions he had about the Cullen's and exactly how deep Bella had been involved in this world. It hurt him deeply that she'd kept so much from him but that hurt took a backseat to the fear that we may lose her. I didn't feel the need to explain the pregnancy yet, one elephant in the room at a time.

Charlie stepped out onto the porch, and clapped a hand onto my shoulder. I flinched under his marble grip and he pulled back, "Um, sorry son, still don't know my own strength I guess." I smiled and slapped in the back as hard as I could, which of course barely drew any reaction aside from a grin. He scanned the woods, tasting the scents around us, "So, onto the search?" I nodded and leapt off of the porch, phasing mid leap, and he bolted side by side with me. I could only pray that we would find her before it was too late.

**Bella POV: **

As our boat skimmed over the top of the water, my eyes strained to search the water line for any clue to our destination. From what I could tell, we'd be travelling for quite some time, but we'd already been to so many places in route I couldn't remember them all if I tried. The entire time we walked through the airport, throughout the flight, and even during our travels to the dock I halfway considered making a huge scene in an attempt to get away. But I knew that there wasn't hope of an escape at this point, so it was best to be as compliant as possible and hope to gain her favor. Beside I had more than myself to consider now. As I dozed, I light brushed my fingertips along the bump in my abdomen. I wasn't sure if the action was an attempt to assure her or myself but I continued to recite a quiet mantra in my head.

_I'm with you my little one, mommy is here. We'll get out of this together, I promise. Jake will find us and then this will all be just one big, bad dream. I love you, little one; your mommy loves you so much. _

After another long while, we came upon a small island; drifted on its own in the midst of the cool, black ocean. Victoria expertly guided the boat around to a dock, tying it off and slipping the keys into her pocket. Glancing over at me she grinned sinisterly, "Just in case you get stupid enough to try anything. No one knows where you are, and this is a remote island so we're the only ones here. So don't think of being rescued either. But don't worry we'll only be here long enough for that baby to get here, then he's mine and well you're just collateral damage."

My jaw hit the floor; I had no idea that this was her intention with me. I thought I was her goal...not...my baby. At that moment I noticed that while I was sitting there day dreaming, Victoria was on her way inside, leaving me sitting alone in the boat, in the dark. If I had any clue where we were I may be stupid enough to try some sort of escape but I accepted the reality that I was stuck here. She knew that too, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here alone. I pulled myself up out of the boat and strength my fatigued muscles, stretching gingerly. I took my time walking into the house surveying what I could see of the landscape through the darkness. In any other circumstance this would romantic, this dreamlike mansion nestled into the tropical landscape. I took off my shoes and wriggled my toes into the cool sand. I couldn't help but believe that I knew this place, from a dream somehow

I felt a hard nudge from my abdomen and I caressed it in response, "I know sweet one, I know this place too. At least we'll have some time to focus on one another." I grinned to myself until Victoria's cold voice interrupted my conversation. "Come inside, now." Both she and I realized that this was not a request. I stepped past her into the house and wandered around until I found my way to the kitchen. Victoria sat in the corner of the dining room watching me with the intensity of a feline, stalking her prey.

I opened the refrigerator and fished out the basic ingredients for a grilled cheese with turkey; as well as a couple of eggs for frying. As much as I hated to admit weakness as the only human in the house, but my baby would not be denied. A quickly made up the meal and sat at the bar, nibbling at the sandwich. I know the war my stomach had with food but in the same breath I both craved and despised it. As I swallowed down my third bite of cheesiness, bile rose up into my throat unexpectedly and I leapt up; racing for the waste basket. My stomach quickly emptied itself of all of the contents and I slouched on the floor, weaker than when I started. After steadying my head I stood shakily and cleared the countertops of my mess.

I filled a glass with orange juice, turning to face where she sat in the corner. "I'm going to go lay down, I'm really tired for all of the traveling. When she didn't respond beyond her continuous stare, I took my juice and wandered the house until I found the bedroom. The bed filled the majority of the room, with a large wooden frame and white gossamer material floating down around it. Due to its height I had to climb up into it, then after surrounding myself with all of the fluffiest pillows I've ever seen, and drifted off to sleep.

This night I dreamed of the child again, I had begun to call her Grace. The name would be a tribute toward Jake's mother, and I could only hope that my baby would inherit her love and caring. Baby Grace came to me, crawling into the bed with me and laying her head onto my chest. She looked up at me with her beautiful brown eyes and blasted me with a smile of perfectly, pearly white teeth.

"I love you, Mommy. Thank you for protecting me. Now I will help to protect you, so rest mommy. Don't worry; I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Her words confused me, and I awoke sweaty and feeling completely disoriented. I didn't feel well, and my stomach threatened to betray me again. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with a flash of pain from my abdomen, and I couldn't withhold the scream. Clutching my stomach I began to panic, but was unsure of who's name to call. When I remembered where I was, and who I was with I realized that no amount of names that I called would help me here. As the pain grew beyond what I thought I could stand a cool hand embraced my face. I opened my eyes to the unfamiliar face, of an elderly woman; Native American from the tone of her skin. Her hair was silken ivory and her frame was slight but her eyes were kind.

" ¿Estás bien?" Her eyes were full of worried question.

I shook my head for a moment, in the midst of my distress, "I'm sorry, what?"

She seemed as lost as I, and I realized she must not speak English. Her face was riddled with concern.

"¿Está embarazada? ¿Su bebé está bien? ¿Dónde está tu marido?"

I tried to sit up but she stopped me by guiding me to lie back onto the pillows which she helped me to rearrange. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I don't speak Spanish." I dug into the single semester of Spanish I took last year in school, pulling out the best phrase I could come up with. "Lo siento, no hablo español."

She nodded in understanding, and reached to rest her cool hands on my stomach, with a question in her eyes. Then I understood, "Oh yes, sí, I am pregnant. Oh!" I doubled over again as the pain flared up once more. She left me alone, returning shortly with a warmed blanket and a mug of herbal tea. After laying it gently on my stomach she sat next to me, stroking my face lovingly. "Um, gracias." I stutter, hoping not to butcher it too much. She smiled warmly again and sat with me while I finished my tea. After it was empty she took the mug and returned once more with a cool wash rag, washing my face with it. After the pain had ebbed she kissed me sweetly on the cheek and soon I was drifting into relaxation. _Oh the tea,_ I reassured myself.

Needless to say there were a lot of unanswered questions. Who was this woman? Where was this pain coming from, and did it mean something could be wrong? I wished I had Carlisle here to help me but that was not a possibility. As I drifted in and out of restless dreams, I said a quick thank you prayer for this kind woman, praying that this would not be the last time I would see her, but knowing that somehow she would help me through this.

_Okay, here is as good a time to stop as any for tonight. I want to keep these at a reasonable length so that means saving the rest of my story line for a little later. Please forgive my rough Spanish as I have to rely upon Google translator. I happy to hear any suggestions, messages and I welcome your reviews! Either way, until next time, to bed!_


	9. Chapter 9: Kaure

_**Okay my lovelies, I'm sorry I know I'm late; no excuses. I will admit that I've struggled with this chapter so I'm hoping that once I've put the pen so to speak on the part that I do have so far, then the rest will come together. Again, I thank each one of you who are reading, reviewing and following my stories, your support means the world. With that let's get this chapter rolling! **_

_**A/N: I do not own any part of Twilight, it's character or it's themes, we know this.**_

**Chapter Nine: Kaure**

**Alice POV:**

"Come on, answer the phone, please?" For the millionth time the line rang the customary three times before the awkward recorded came on, again. "Hi, this is Bella. I'm sorry, I um, I'm not here right now. Please leave me a message and call me back. No! Shoot, I mean, I'll call you back at some point. Crap..." A beep ensued and I couldn't bring myself to leave yet another message so I slammed my phone closed, sliding my head into my hands. "Shit!"

Jasper came up beside me wrapping his arm around my shoulders, "Beloved, I know you're frustrated; we all are. Come, let's join the others." He slipped my phone from my hand looking it over, "You're just tormenting yourself with all of this." Dropping the phone into the back pocket of his blue jeans, he guided me toward the living room.

I kissed his cheek softly, and pouted softly. "Jazz, I'm not accustomed to this, this not knowing what's happening. And I don't like, not at all." I had been calling Bella's phone non-stop, not to mention texting her constantly, for the last four 12 hours. I was praying that somehow she would just answer the damned phone. And the whole time she will have been lost in the woods, and completely fine; she did have a knack for that after all. But sadly, I knew as well as any of the others that this was not the case; no matter how much I wished for it to be true. Bella had always been like my sister and I shuddered to think of her out there somewhere, unsure of her own emotions or even how to handle this whole situation. She needs guidance, there's no way she'll be able to do this on her own. I need to be there for her! As we entered the living room where the rest of our family sat talking, Jasper led me over to the couch and pulled me down to sit beside him, pulling me close. I cleared my mind of its current turmoil, and just listened to the conversation. Emmett and Carlisle where analyzing the routes we'd all been searching, trying to narrow down their direction of escape.

"Jacob has had the pack running constant patrols and when we cross reference our searches the furthest trail we've located is sketchy and it ends near the highway." Emmett's voice was hollow with sadness; surely he was feeling Bella's absence just as much as I was. Suddenly I was grateful to feel the familiar haze of a vision coming upon me, forcing me to lean into Jasper's side for support; gripping his hand in the attempt to prepare my mind for what I might witness.

_Bella sat, her belly getting more prominent by the hour, on top of a small boat as it skimmed across a body of water; her surroundings were dark. The point of view of the vision had me looking dead into her face from, as if I was sitting in from of her. She had an eerie calm about her, and her eyes looked heavy with exhaustion. In the far distance behind her I could see the skyline of a city full of lights. Victoria sat directly behind Bella, steering the boat. Neither of them spoke and soon the vision faded to black. _

As soon as I came to I blinked to find the entire room watching me expectantly. I explained in a hushed whisper everything that I had just seen. "They were traveling by boat, over water, but I couldn't tell where. Bella looks completely exhausted so they must have been travelling this entire time. Oh I wish I would get some sort of details that will help us!"

**Bella POV: **

Over the following days, Victoria rarely stayed longer than a few minutes. To make sure I was still there, I'd guess. She'd ask a few quick clipped questions about that baby and then she was gone very soon after. My belly was getting bigger by the day and it terrified to now know more about the child within me. But even through my fear I couldn't stop the unrequited love that continued to grow. As my dreams continued, we spoke in more detail. We played games together and I told her stories as she sat in my lap quietly. She continued to grow a little more each time I saw her, but only in minute ways. During the times I was awake the woman I had come to learn was the housekeeper, whose name was Kaure. Although we still couldn't speak very much we had learned how to communicate. She kept food prepared and helped me through the times when the pain would return. Sometimes she just lay on the bed with me, stroking my hair and helping me to sleep.

I woke to the sounds of her cooking in the kitchen and the smell of eggs, which funny enough I had acquired a taste for nothing else lately. I padded out to the kitchen in my pajamas, climbing onto a stool at the bar. "Buenos días Kaure." She smiled warmly as she slid three fried eggs onto a plate and slid it in front of me.

"Buenos días mamá, muy poco." I smiled at her nickname for me, little mama. Eating quickly, the eggs scalded my throat but I was too hungry to care. She also handed me a glass of strawberry milk which I had come to love as well, and I sipped it carefully. As I sipped, I allowed my mind to drift back to my family, back in Forks. I missed them terribly but mainly I wanted so much to share this experience with them, with Jacob. Oh my Jacob, he must be frantic at this point, not knowing where I am. Not having him with me has left a void and I was overwhelmed in that moment with the desire to just put my arms around him. I craved his touch so much right then, from my closest count we had been in this exile for nearly a month now and by the size of my stomach I could only imagine that it wouldn't be too much longer. Of course I felt as big as a house as it was so who was I to judge how much bigger I would get. I cringed, and as I dreamed of his face, I felt a hard kick high in my belly followed by a hefty crunching sound.

My side exploded and in seconds I was tumbling from atop the stool. The breath was knocked completely out of my body so much so that I could barely scream. Kaure scurried around the bar and helped me struggle back into my bedroom. I whimpered and cried out as I climbed atop the bed with her climbing atop it after me. She pulled my hands away from where I gripped my side and pressed gingerly.

I screamed in pain and she tried to explain, "Creo que se ha roto." In my pain I had to focus on not letting our language barrier make me lash out at her. "I'm sorry Kaure, I don't understand. Um, no lo entiendo." She looked around in frustration then turned back to me gesturing with her hands. She pointed first to her side then locked her fingers and jerked them backward. "Roto."

"Okay, I understand, broken. Yes I'd agree." She sweetly caressed my face and with a quick, "I'll be right back" she scurried around the house returning with a small pile which she laid on the bed. As I lay gasping she worked swiftly tying bandages together. After preparing everything she helped me to sit up as straight as I could while she wrapped my ribs tightly interlacing warmed dressings into it. At first I thought the heat to be too much but as my body became accustomed to it, I found it soothing. Eventually the panic receded and although the pain still existed, it became more manageable.

Once the bandages were in place she left me there but quickly reappeared with another cup of tea. The smell of it was familiar and I swallowed greedily, welcoming the calm that took over soon after the last dregs were gone. When I awoke she was nowhere to be found but in the corner of my room sat Victoria, her face mostly concealed by the evening darkness. Had I really slept all day? When she spoke her cool tone shocked me, with such a stark different from that of Kaure.

"So you are injured? What happened? The baby isn't hurt is he?" The concern in her voice was evident but I knew it had nothing to do with me. Her concern was for my child, I was only a byproduct. I tried to push myself up by my ribs protested and I struggled to at least recline where I could see her.

"I have no way of knowing but honestly the baby seems fine, very strong though. Although yes, I think she may have broken a rib or two. She's growing up so fast." I chuckled, and then winced.

She smiled softly, her eyes distant, "I can't wait to meet him." And I didn't think it wise to correct her. I stroked my belly soft while inwardly thinking, _"It's okay Grace I'll protect you sweetheart. Until my dying breath, I will do everything in my power to keep your safe." _Even as I thought them, I doubted the truth in my words. Not that I wouldn't try, but I was in a completely different world, out of my own league here. Victoria didn't speak again, but still she sat watching me intently. I pulled out my book, an old battered copy of Withering Heights that I found in a bookcase in hidden corner of the house. It was tattered and worn still legible so I took up reading for awhile hoping to distract myself from both the pain and her icy cold stare. This was going to be a long night.

As the time wore on I began to feel odd changes and not the obvious ones that you would think to expect with pregnancy. A strange burning sensation stemming from my chest to my limbs, and somewhat unexplainable. It subsided momentarily but then inevitably returned until it was a regular, constant sensation that I became accustomed to feeling.

The following day, Victoria had not left like her usual routine, so when Kaure arrived we had to remain obtuse. She questioned me with her eyes while she cleaned items that didn't need cleaning around the bedroom. I tried to smile reassuringly but she read the pain in my eyes and continually kept a mug of tea at my bed side. As sleep became my main pass time, the days blurred together until I woke up one day and simply couldn't stay in bed any longer. My joints were sore and my muscles stiff so my body couldn't contain itself any longer. After climbing out of the bed, I stood on the cool floor, and after I was sure that my footing was sure I took a few minutes to stretch deeply sighing at the wonderful release. As I wandered aimless through the house, Victoria simply sat just as she always did, watching me intently with her crimson cat like eyes. Gradually she began to speak to me, but only in short phrases or questions that didn't require an elaborate response. One afternoon as I sat on the patio playing chess with myself she came outside and stood watching me, with the sunlight sending shimmering reflections all over me.

"That's check mate." I paused with my hand over my queen and couldn't suppress a grin. "You play?" She nodded and sat across from me. I reset the board and without invitation she began to play the opponents side. I was grateful for even the silent company, even though she won a good majority of the games. After our third game I sat back as I felt another kick to my gut, followed by a swift second. "Oh! Calm down little one."

Her eyes were alight with curiosity, "What does it feel like?" The question came out in just above a whisper. I rubbed the bruise on my belly with gentle pressure to help show the baby to move her foot. "At first, in the very beginning at least, it felt like butterflies. Now it almost takes my breath away each time."

She paused, wanting to ask more but held back. Her candor surprised me and in a way I felt a little bit of relief, to see a side of her that wasn't so cold hearted. It wasn't much but it was a start. During the games we played over the next week she began to open up, asking me more questions; more about the baby but a few about me as well. We eventually developed an almost playful banter during our games, and I saw a different, almost friendly side to her begin to play out. She stayed all of the time then, helping me do different things as I got bigger and rounder. Kaure still came and cleaned but we didn't have the same time to talk like we did before. Another two weeks later Victoria had to leave to hunt and Kaure and I were alone once more. She cooked eggs for me and helped me get dressed. I was restless so we took a walk on the beach around the house. We sat on the dock with our feet in the water in companionable silence until the sun drifted down around the horizon. She stood and reached a hand down to me to help me stand but as I attempted to stand a blinding pain ripped through my body and my knees buckled.

This was no broken rib and I had no idea what to do with it.


	10. Chapter 10: Revelation

_**Good evening all! I am so excited to be updating tonight from my brand new laptop! After my wonderful husband worked long into the evening to get everything installed my updates are now back on track! I cannot believe that this is my first mini milestone with my tenth chapter. Thank you dearly to my readers, followers, and reviewers and I really enjoy reading the reactions that result from each update. I am excited to see this next chapter unfold so without further adou, onto to our story.**_

_**A/N: I do not own any portion of Twilight, it's plot, characters, or themes; except for the ones which come from my imagination at least.**_

**Chapter Ten: The Revelation**

**Alice POV:**

"It's been almost two months, why haven't you seen anything that would help us find her?" Jacob ranted as he stormed around our living room, which at the present sat crowded with all of the remaining members of our family, with a number of additional vampires from the nearby coven in Alaska. The entire wolf pack was present as well, including their newest members Seth and Leah Clearwater. Considering their disdain for our kind, it was shocking that they would even come inside the house, but we all knew it wasn't for our benefit; everyone was worried about Bella. The atmosphere was thick with anxiety with the lack of news about her whereabouts. And with every inch of the surrounding miles picked clean, there was nothing further to really do but to wait. But still, no one wanted to leave in the hopes that news we all prayed for would come.

He was frustrated and reasonably so, but he was taking his anger out on me, which I didn't appreciate, and I couldn't resist the urge to flinch as his voice reverberated off of the high walls. Immediately, my shield was drawn and I allowed my anger to get the best of me as I responded in kind to his accusation. "What the hell are you blaming me for, JA-COB" I snidely accented his formal name, "I didn't kidnap her and take her…" My sarcasm was cut off mid sentence as a million images flooded my vision.

_This time not unlike many others this vision was a series of images, with no displayed correlation between them. At first, I saw Bella sitting on a patio, getting very round indeed, playing chess with Victoria and laughing quietly. What the hell, did I see that right? Next, I saw Bella on a large bed, writhing in pain and grasping at her side while an unfamiliar woman wearing a worried expression working to wrap her in bandages. What happened, why is she hurt? Lastly, the scene changed entirely and I was looking upon the skyline again, this time in broad daylight hours. I tried to utilize every second to its fullest in scouring the landscape, picking out the most unique aspects. Finally I spotted it, on the tallest hill a very large statue loomed. A robed man stood with his arms outstretched. I saw my field of vision facing the statue from the aspect of the waterline, and then it faded out of sight. _

As soon as my eyes opened and my normal sight returned I was racing around the house attempting to explain my revelations. "Okay so although it was very disconnected, I feel like this will finally provide us with some insight!" Finally I located my target, a blank sheet of paper and a pen and pulling the coffee table toward the couch I crouched to the table, beginning to draw.

Jacob shoved his way through the many bodies in the room to loom over me, "What is it Alice, what did you see? Is it Bella?" His eyes were so full of concern mingled with fear that my heart broke for him. I quickly shrugged off my sympathy and attempted to explain while simultaneously drawing.

"Well, first I saw Bella, and she looks to be okay somewhat, although I can see that she is nursing a few injuries."

His eyes blazed with fury and his incessant need to protect her, I pushed through and continued. "She is getting so big! I had no idea things were moving _this _quickly, but from the looks of it, it won't be long now. Oh! And one last thing, I saw a statue." I stated matter of factly. Then I looked up to see every face in the room looked at me expectantly. "Oh sorry, yes, the statue; well, I've never seen it before but it seems to be really unique. Here, has any one of you seen this before?" I stood and held up my completed illustration of the statue from my vision.

Carlisle gasped, whispering quietly to himself. "Of course, how did I know see this before?" The attention in the room shifted from me to him as he smiled broadly. "It's Brazil."

**Bella POV**

Every pain receptor in my brain exploded with the intense sensation. During my entire time here I had known many different types of pain but this single moment topped them all. I hunched down over my baby, grasping my belly in my feeble attempt to protect her. Her tiny body rolled within me which filled me with dread. Kaure immediately rose to her feet and helped me up to stand as well, allowing me to put my weight onto her while she guided me into the house; whispering soothing words softly to me as we made our way to my bedroom. I had to force myself to breathe as in the same moment that I couldn't imagine it getting any worse, the pain became amplified. For Kaure's sake, I tried my damndest to contain my whimpers and cries but eventually it became so overwhelming that they would no longer be contained. I forced oxygen between my teeth and struggled to find something to focus on, failing miserably. The helpless expression dominating her kind face made me feel terrible for involving her like this. And I appreciated her company but I had come to really care for Kaure and I didn't want her to be involved in this. I didn't even know what I could expect from here.

Sitting up tall and attempting to wipe all traces of pain from my face, I took her hands into mine. Summoning all of the Spanish I had acquired during my stay in this place, I looked deeply into her worried eyes. "He llegado a amarte y te agradezco por todo lo que he hecho, pero necesito que te vayas. As I expected her to, she resisted the idea of leaving me alone.

No doubt my current state alarmed her, "No, mi dulce niña, no se atrevería a dejar aquí sola."

Tears welled up in my eyes, and my resolve was quickly fading away. I had no idea what I could say to her that would make her leave so I bit my lip. "Lo siento, tengo miedo. Pero prométeme que te vas antes de que Victoria vuelve a aparecer. Promesa?" She looked as if she wanted to argue further but she simply paused then nodded quietly in agreement.

I felt the familiar painful crunch of another rib cracking. Strangely enough, although it was painful, it was less painful than the other situations so I hardly seemed to notice it. On top of every other sensation bombarding my senses in that moment, the constant burn I had become accustomed to suddenly intensified, drawing my attention inward in an instant. My heart pounded in my ears faster than I'd ever felt it in my life. A feeling of dread pooled in the bottom of my stomach and I needed to be alone, I shakily stood and stumbled on shaky legs into the bathroom; closing the door behind me. Once the door was closed the pretense was gone and I lost my tightly fitted composure. Tears streamed my cheeks and I clasped my hand over my mouth as silent sobs racked my body. I slid to the floor with my back against the door and grasped my belly tightly as I felt something inside of my tear, almost audibly, and I was consumed by darkness.

Suddenly my sight was gone and I expected that I would lose all other sensation as well, leaving me in a peaceful sleep. But then darkness became heavy, like a thick molasses, settling into every crevice of my body. This wasn't peaceful, it was terrifying, but as I opened my mouth to cry out for help the molasses rushed in; filling my mouth with the foul liquid which tasted of rust. I gagged and choked, trying to force it back out but as I opened my mouth again more of the liquid rushed in. I drifted in and out of consciousness; as I was hit by wave after wave every sort of pain that I could imagine. I felt by body being jerked and torn in multiple directions as I felt an invisible force shoving me around. I wished that I could force my eyes to open but no matter how hard I pushed for them to open, they just wouldn't cooperate.

I could hear sounds around me and I began to count minute sounds like a steady drip of water from the faucet, and one thousand, four hundred, and twenty two drips later I heard the shift of the door beginning to open followed by Kaure's screams. I wanted nothing more than to open my eyes and tell her that I was fine, but I could only lay there listening to her motherly sobs as I felt her clutch my body to her chest. We stayed this way for another one thousand six hundred and fifteen drips with her coming and going intermittently, until something else changed. The steady burn that I'd been feeling began to lessen. My erratic heartbeat began to slow down, and over the next two thousand two hundred and four drips it had finally dipped down into its steady beat. Soon after, more sensations began to return. I still couldn't open my eyes; however my body could detect even tiny changes in the atmosphere around me. I found that I could breathe again, and as I drew that air into my lungs, I tasted everything around me. From the saltiness of the water and the sand outside, to the humid almond stagnant air inside the room where I laid; then lastly to an oddly sweet smell located around me.

I began to detect small points of contact, of pressure in random moments and without any pattern. With touches as light as a feather brushing against my cheek, my arms or my side, but one thing that I did notice is that the pain had ceased; and I began to feel my body strengthen. Then, finally, after another short five hundred drips, my eyes drifted open and I could finally take in the scene around me. I still lay on the cool tile of the bathroom, but the tiny room was filled with countless blankets, a small bowl filled with water tinged pink as well as a pile of deep red towels, and many smaller things. But my eyes refused to linger on those things when I noticed the tiny creature nestled in Kaure's arms. Smiling brightly was the toddler from my dreams, literally, reaching toward me incessantly. Kaure scolded her softly in Spanish and she pulled back, calculating my state.

As the entire situation came into focus I realized this was my child, my beautiful little girl; and then the reality of what really just happened dawned on me. My hand drifted to my stomach and I found it flat again, if not with a slight pooch but I couldn't find any scars. I looked at Kaure quizzically and she smiled knowingly, she handed me a hand mirror with a single phrase. "Usted es inmortal ahora." Taking the mirror from her I had no idea what to expect. Once I brought it up to the level of my face, and was immediately shocked by the face I saw there. My skin was smoother and paler by the smallest measurement, but my eyes were where the shock registered. From what I knew from the Cullen's I had always known vampires to originate with blood red eyes, but my eyes were a pale shade of molten copper. This didn't even match the Cullen's amber eyes, and I had no way to explain where this came from.

"Mmmm!" Her tiny voice shook me out of my trance and my gaze returned to her face, and I realized her eyes matched mine. We were a unique breed of our own. Even if she couldn't articulate the word I knew this was her calling my name. Smiling and I welcomed her into my arms and hugged her tightly. She sat back in my arms smiling broadly and I giggled when I found she already head two top and bottom teeth. "Hello Grace." She kissed me tenderly on the tip of my nose and curled into my chest, drawing tears to my eyes.

I looked over toward Kaure and reached over clasping her cool hand into mine and the only words I could articulate through the lump in my throat was,

"Gracias, Kaure."


	11. Chapter 11: What Now?

_**Hello again to you my lovely readers. I thank each one of you for following and reading as well as your reviews. I know that I'm cutting down to the wire here but this week has been crazy with not much time spent on story development and I don't want to jip you guys by just throwing out a crap chapter to appease you, so in turn this chapter is running behind. Forgive me? **_

_**I'm so glad to have passed my tenth chapter milestone and I have been contemplating how the story should progress from here. Yes it does appear that baby Grace has saved her mommy in her own little way; one can only guess what will happen next. Well I know, you get to guess until all is revealed later on. Well I'm rambling so I'll shut up and start typing, enjoy!**_

_**A/N: This is nothing new, I don't own any part of Twilight; which is why I alter the story to give our yummy Jacob the advantage. **_

**Chapter Eleven: What Now?**

**Jacob POV: **

"Since when do they make chairs so small?" I cringed again and shuffled uncomfortable in the tiny space. I enjoyed my space with the ability to stretch and run, so spending the last eight hours inside this tin can of an airplane with so many other people had me crawling out of my skin. As it was I felt like the jolly green giant next to these people, with my head sitting well above the top of my seat. While I was grateful that Dr. Cullen covered first class where, from what I'm told the seats are considered to be the larger of the available options; I felt boxed in. As I attempted to take a calming breath, my nose was filled with the stale air around me; a cocktail of over warmed food trays mixed with the overwhelming stench of some sort of floral scented aerosol air freshener. In the back of my mind I realized that although I did recognize the scents of the vampires seated around me I wasn't as turned off by it. I guess the time spent in their home over the last couple of months had dulled my sensitivity to their specific smells. Jasper sat directly to my right in the aisle seat, gracefully allowing me the window seat. He sensed my rising distress and I quickly felt a blanket of serenity settle over me and I leaned my head against the wall of the cabin, staring at the clouds below us. And for the first time in what felt like weeks, I drifted into a heavy sleep.

After what felt like just a few minutes, I was startled away by Jasper. "Jacob, we're landing." I stretched and realized that plane had emptied of most of its passengers and all six of the Cullens stood around me patiently gathering their small carry-on baggage. In my embarrassment I stood quickly, slamming my head into the overhead compartment and scowled. "Ow." My mind was clouded with sleep but I followed them out of the plane and through the crowded airport to yet another boarding gate. This time we walked directly out onto the tarmac to a much smaller plane. I groaned softly as we step inside the even smaller cabin and I had to duck down to fit inside, "Ugh, another plane…and smaller seats."

Alice giggled as we all took our seats and the pilot gave his welcome speech. As we taxied out on onto the runway and swiftly took off, I scooted down in my seat and tried to doze once more. I couldn't sit staring out the window for another two hour flight, it already seemed like we'd never arrive. It terrified me to think of what we would find, if we could find Bella at all. But I refused to give up, not until I found her and she was safely in my arms. Alice had seen Rio so I would search every inch of it until she surfaced. I could not believe that it had been more than two whole month since we had seen one another, and my mind still ran wild with nightmarish images of what she may look like; with that thing stewing inside of her. As I drifted again, I repeated the mantra that had been running through my mind since we found out she had been taken. "Wait for me, my sweet Bella. Hold on, I'm coming and we'll be together soon."

**Bella POV:**

As Grace lay on her belly against my chest, I swept my fingertips along the length of her back. I leaned my head down and sniffed her hair, and the sweet aroma filled my nose. Placing my lips against the crown of her head, I kissed her gently. She stirred lightly then settled in again and drifted back to sleep. It was still surreal to me that this beautiful little person was inside of me not very long ago. Kaure shifted nervously and my attention was brought back to the conversation. "So, it's decided then."

She nodded in agreement but her eyes still mirrored my own feelings of worry. It was a risky plan but it had to work, for my family; Jacob, Grace and I. Not to mention every person that I love back in Forks. We both knew that Victoria would be coming back soon and all she cared about was taking my sweet baby Grace away from me. And since I'd awakened to her beautiful face all I cared about was keeping Victoria's hands from ever reaching my baby. And considering the changes I had experienced over the last three days, I felt all the more confident that I could face her and come out of it victorious.

Strangely enough, through all of these minute changes, it struck me that while I was different I was still very much my same old self. I had determined that my skin had obtained a similar quality to that of the Cullens, but not nearly to the same degree. While it did shimmer slightly it left more a glow to my skin, especially in direct light. I was grateful that I didn't turn into a walking disco ball anytime I went outside but then again, why didn't I? Secondly I didn't crave blood, which I was under the impression was pretty big deal for new vampires especially newborns, wasn't it? Through a couple of small experiments, I had deduced that I did still crave and enjoy human food, as did Grace. But the really neat parts, I had to say, were the physical changes. While I did look much the same, my senses and reflexes were much different. I could see in much greater detail and distance than I had ever been able to previously. Although irritatingly enough, my clumsiness seemed to linger. On top of that I seem to acquire a much greater amount of strength than before. I didn't have any problem with exercising restraint with Kaure and Grace; however I had already destroyed quite a few things around the house by just not paying attention. And it was this last development, my strength, which got me to thinking.

It drew me back to a conversation that I heard between Carlisle and Jacob once. Apparently, as Carlisle pointed out, new vampires are much stronger than even they are for at least the first few months of their immortal lives. And while I was very new at this, Victoria was much older than I; and that meant for the time being, I had her at a disadvantage. All I could hope for was that she would return before my new found strength waned. Just thinking of her trying to take my daughter from me left my blood boiling, searing hot in my veins. I knew that I would relish the thought of seeing the look on her face before I ended her existence.

Kaure and I had sat up practically all night while Grace slept, working on a plan. I hated the thought of being away from her for even a moment but I knew that I couldn't risk her being anywhere near this place when Victoria returned. I wanted to see her try to get past me, because it wasn't happening. Kaure would take Grace to the mainland to stay with her and her family. When Victoria returned, I would be here waiting to greet her. Then, I would end this, once and for all. Once she was dead, I would travel to the mainland and retrieve my daughter, then we would finally go home.

The thought of home left a huge lump forming in my throat, how I'd missed it. I longed to finally see the faces of everyone that I loved so much; of Jacob and Charlie. Even before coming here, it had been awhile since I'd been able to see Charlie, because he himself was a new vampire and it wasn't safe. I chuckled to myself as I realized how much worse of a situation this had been, I would have been much safer with him in the next room over at home. I wondered what his reaction to my having a child would be. The good part is, I wouldn't have to think of a lie to explain it. Even though it was of the smallest consolation, I was so grateful. After all of the lies that I'd had to tell him while I was with Edward, just to protect him. A small tug on my shirt brought my attention back to the small face hovering above mine. Grace leaned backward with my shirt fisted in her hands. Her eyes relayed her concern for me, sensing my distress. She had gained her father's gift for telepathy and mindreading. I thought softly, _"I love you my darling girl. Don't worry mommy is just fine."_A bright smile lit up her face and she kissed my nose sweetly. I knew the time had come for Kaure and her to go, so they could be safely tucked away, but I also knew that this moment would not be easy for either of us. I composed my face and looked directly into Grace's beautiful copper eyes.

"_Okay, I need you to listen to mommy, Grace, are you listening?" _She nodded intently, her eyes displaying an understanding far beyond her physical age.

"_You and Aunt Kaure are going to go away for just a little while. Mommy has to take care of something here, and then we can be together again."_Her tiny brow furled in confusion, asking me an unspoken why. Tears welled up in my eyes, alarming her further.

"_Someone is coming and she wants to take you away and mommy isn't going to let that happen, but you have to go with Aunt Kaure."_

While I did expect her to be unhappy with the news what I didn't expect her to do was to immediately gain a grip on my shirt, latching onto me and refusing to let me go. As I gently pulled her tiny fists from my shirt, her face crumpled and she began to wail loudly, followed by a full on fit. It broke my heart to see her in such distress, but I knew they had to go and quickly. This is the longest that Victoria has ever stayed away and it wouldn't be long before she came back, seeking her prize. I looked to Kaure helplessly and she stood with steely resolve, caught Grace up into her arms and rushed out onto the dock where a man sat waiting in a small boat. How long had he been there? Her cries became fainter as the distance between us grew greater and it took every ounce of will power I had in order to keep my feet planted where they stood. I wanted to run after her and comfort my shrieking child, and hold her. To tell her that it would be alright, that this was only for a little while. But I couldn't even believe that it would be anything close to alright as long as Victoria lived. If I were to just take my child and run, we would forever be looking over our shoulders, waiting for her to attack. No, this had to end here. So there I stood, watching Kaure attempt to soothe her in my place, as their boat faded further and further out of sight. I prayed that this would not be the last time that I would see her, either of them. Well after I had watched their boat skip across the water until I could no longer see them, even with my new and improved eyes, I stood blankly staring after them. I was completely torn between two extreme warring emotions.

On one hand my human side shouted at me that she would kill us both, that I was still the clumsy mess I was before this whole drama. What made me think that I could fight a vampire and actually win? _Because that bitch isn't coming anywhere near Grace. _The beast inside of me growled. At the mere thought of her seeing my child much less trying to take her away from me, I began seeing red. Then and there my inner beast and I agreed on one thing.

Once she stepped foot on this God forsaken island, she wouldn't be leaving. The bitch dies here.

_**Okay, I'm hoping to get another update done tomorrow but for now I'll need to stop here. I already have tons of ideas rolling around in my head for the next chapter so it's just a matter of putting it onto paper. Heck, it might even be tonight, depending on how good this new wine is. **_


	12. Chapter 12: It Ends Here

_**Hello all! I know I didn't get to add another chapter on Saturday like I planned but I figured that I'd put it out there tonight. I got the chance to pick-up some extra hours at work today so I am just now getting home and getting settled in. I promise; I will finish this tonight. I've struggled this week with finding the time and focus to get my updates worked out like I normally do so Fridays are normally pretty simple. With a quick rough draft based on my ideas throughout the week then edit to a final and publish. So this week I have to work my ideas out as I go. Hopefully this comes to a point as good as the climax I've been envisioning for the last week and a half. Okay enough of my blubbering, onto the show!**_

_**A/N: I don't own Twilight, this we know. **_

**Chapter Twelve: It Ends Here**

**Carlisle POV:**

From the time we had landed, we had our entire group dispersed and set off to begin combing the city in smaller groups. Esme and I made up the first, Rosalie and Emmett the second, and Alice, Jasper, and Jacob compiling the last group. None of us had any idea what we were searching for, other than some obvious sign of Victoria's or Bella's presence here. After hours of scouring the city, Esme and I had reached the favelas; small impoverished communities set into the hill strewn terrain. As we do pretty much everywhere else, we stood out like sore thumbs. Our fair skin and golden eyes were the complete opposite of the ashen olive toned skin and dark eyes of everyone around us. But it didn't faze my beautiful wife, nothing ever fazed her; and she immediately began making friends with the children. Children in every culture tended to be the boldest and most unbiased of anyone, and soon after a small crowd of them surrounded us. In addition the curiosity began to pull in a few adults as well. My eyes scanned the dingy, tired faces of each of the nearby families, searching for anything familiar that would help us in our search. Then, in a moment when my eyes caught a glimpse of a slender older couple standing in the doorway to their tiny home, him with his arm wrapped protectively around her frail shoulders a thought came to mind, one that I had dismissed until now.

I turned to my wife, my hope renewed, "Esme, love?" She paused to look away from the small group of children gathered around her murmuring quietly. "Yes dear?" The light of realization in my eyes drew her closer to me and I responded in a whisper, "Gustavo and Kaure." Her responding smile told me that she agreed with my theory. Gustavo and Kaure were the long time housekeepers for our getaway home on Isle Esme. (The island aptly named for the gift that I surprised Esme me with on her birthday some ninety five years ago.) They had taken our seasonal home into their care for the last twenty five years, and they lived here on the mainland. There and then we both knew that finding them would help unlock the key to the location of our sweet Bella. I didn't care that she wouldn't be my daughter in law as Edward once hoped she would be; this girl would always be a part of my family. Esme immediately sprung into action and turned back to the children.

"Ahora los niños, que quiere jugar un juego?" All of them began to shout at once, raising their hands, excited at the prospect her suggested game. This caused her smile to spread even wider. "Muy bien, gracias, necesitamos su ayuda para encontrar a Gustavo y Kaure. ¿Alguno de ustedes los conozco? " Out of the group one little hand shot up, and a very slight little boy called out from the crowd, "Yo las conozco, ven de esta manera te mostraré!" He immediately turned and raced past the both of us, and the crowd of children charged after him. She smiled at me quickly before darting off after them, pulling me by the hand after her.

We navigated the maze after the mob of children for nearly three blocks, until they all stopped abruptly, causing us to nearly bowl them over as we turned the corner after them. After surveying the scene before us for a few seconds, I immediately recognized that something was out of sorts. The small boy stood directly in front of a small one story structure made of crumbling concrete and topped with a roof made of scattered sheets of rusting tin. But this was nothing beyond the ordinary, identical to the structures around it. The irregularity was in the door itself, it sat in the frame but not because it was closed, the hinges were not aligned and the latch on the door sat unlocked. Alarm filled my senses and I looked over to see that Esme was also on high alert. She positioned herself between the house and the children and slowly guided them away as I stepped toward the door. At the slightest touch of my finger the door fell inside in and landed with a flourish on the dingy floor.

I stepped inside and my nose was instantly greeted by two intermingling odors simultaneously. At first I was relieved to find the smell we'd been searching for since Bella disappeared from behind our home, Victoria. But somehow even with that smell in my head I couldn't relax. Every cell in my being was still on high alert, but the second scent was extremely familiar, why was I so alarmed by it? And then as I stepped further into the house and turned the corner into the bedroom, I knew why. The room was scattered with human bodies, the walls and sparse furniture were all splattered in human blood. Among them lay the cold dead bodies of Kaure, her husband Gustavo, and what may have been their children. I listened closely but couldn't discern even the weakest of a pulse among them. The final decoration in the room left me completely speechless. Along the wall above the bed where they lay smeared in their blood I read the words.

"I will find her."

Sadly, our theory had been correct, in the worst way. The author of this horrific message was obvious but the question remained, who was Victoria referring to? Had Bella escaped, if so where was she? Either way we were right to connect Gustavo and Kaure into this, so our next step would be Isle Esme. As my mind tried to work through these questions, I found that I had clenched my jaw until my ears had begun to ring. I was caught off guard by heavy sobs as Esme entered the room behind me. I took her into my arms, comforting her as gently as I could, kissing her forehead sweetly and stroking her back with the palm of my hand. But as sound protruded beyond the ring in my ears, another sound found its way in as well. A heart beat, soft but erratic and accompanied by a soft whimper. I followed the sounds to a small cupboard in the corner. Slowly, I pulled the cupboard door open and I was greeted by two small children. The older of the two, who held Kaure's features, including her silky black hair and her large dark eyes, could not have been older than seven years of age. However the toddler huddled into her side, the source of the whimpering, could not have surprised me more. Here in this tiny cabinet sat a smaller version of my late son, Edward. Her features were slight but there was no doubting that this child was an immortal, but what sealed it was the flush to her skin and the warm brown color of her eyes leaving no question that this child was Bella's daughter as well. Esme recognized the stark features of this child's face as quickly as I had.

"Carlisle, there can be no other explanation; this is Bella's child. I can see Edward all over her."

I smiled gently at the older girl, reaching a hand out to her. "Hola, niña. Mi nombre es Carlisle Cullen, soy un amigo de sus padres. ¿Podría salir?" She reluctantly complied and taking my hand she climbed out to stand, and then reached back in to lift the toddler out, pulling her toward her small hip. Her young face held so much wisdom and she boldly spoke, holding her chin up.

"Nice to meet you, I speak little bit English. My mother said you'd come." For a brief moment, tears welled up in her eyes as her eyes glanced over her slaughtered family but she quickly reined it in, refusing to allow them to completely surface.

Esme stepped forward with her completely disarming demeanor and smiled sweetly at her, "Hello, I'm Esme. What is your name, sweetheart?" Her smile had the desired effect and the girl's icy exterior melted and her eyes filled as she spoke.

"Hello Esme, my name is Seneca and this," she shuffled the toddler at her hip, "is Grace."

The toddler smiled brightly at her name being spoken and Esme stepped forward, holding her arms out. "Hi Grace, will you come here please?" Grace eyed Seneca carefully for a moment until she nodded, giving the okay, and she leaned over to allow Esme to pull her into her arms. They sat for a moment staring at one another and I looked away, feeling as if I was intruding on their moment.

I turned my attention to Seneca, "Thank you sweetheart, are you injured?"

She shook her head, "No, my mother sent me away with Grace not long after she arrived here. She said that an immortal would be coming for her and she couldn't be here. It was my job to keep her safe." Her eyes once again scoured the gory bedroom scene and I didn't have to be telepathic to understand what she was thinking. She knew her mother sent her away, knowing what would become of them, and she couldn't stop the tidal wave of emotions that flooded her. I pulled her into a comforting embrace and guided her out of the house and into the open air, away from the horror inside. Once her control was no longer required, she allowed the emotion to break through. I held her to my chest as she cried. After she sobbed heavily for awhile, she pulled away wiping her eyes and sniffling softly.

Once I knew she was alright for the moment I slipped my phone from my pocket and dialed Rosalie and Emmett first, then calling Alice, knowing she was with Jasper and Jacob. I knew they would arrive shortly but I still had no idea how I would introduce this child to Jacob, knowing what she represented. We knew that her existence meant a high likelihood that we would not find Bella alive, but we would not give up hope. We knew that above anything else we had to get to Isle Esme and come hell or high water, we would get Bella back.

**Bella POV:**

I sat on the patio staring at the chess game which sat unfinished on the large ottoman. I viewed the pieces in an entire new perspective now. Before Gracie, I always viewed myself as one of the pawns, likely the weakest of them in fact; easily expendable, with no real chance of survival in this, her game. But the last few days had really given me a new viewpoint. I was not a pawn, weak and helpless waiting to be slaughtered. I was the queen, poised and ready, completely powerful; fully capable of taking any action that was necessary, simply waiting on the right moment to act. This was my game now, in fact, and all that it would take is for her to step into position before I would strike and show her the meaning of true fear.

I know the moment she stepped onto the island, by her scent alone. I saw frozen, without giving her the courtesy of single glance, while she walked to stand in front of me. I felt her icy glare assessing me from head to toe and only after a few moments did she speak.

"You're looking well Bella; I seemed to think I wouldn't find you alive. It's not common for a human to escape the birthing of an immortal child, I hope you realize that. And it seems that you've changed a bit yourself, have you? Well no matter now. Where is she? Where is my baby?"

A reflexive hiss escaped between my clenched teeth and I finally allowed my eyes to meet hers, causing her to chuckle.

"Oh how daring, are you angry with me little pussy cat? Well there's no need for that, you have no chance against me, you do realize that don't you? What, because you're a big bad vampire now you think that all of the sudden you're more accustomed to hand to hand combat than I am? Well isn't that sweet?"

Her catlike smile unnerved me the human girl in the back of my mind grew weak at the knees.

_She's right, what do you know about fighting? You could barely survive one lesson of karate without breaking your neck. _She rambled nervously.

I breathed in deeply through my nose reminding myself, and her, of why I needed to do this. Then I steeled myself and focused all of my energy into my inner vampire. With one swift motion I rose effortlessly to my feet, and then began to step forward menacingly, causing her to step backward out of shock. I spoke in the chilly ominous tone that I had perfected while practicing what I thought I would say in this moment, and gratefully my inner human retreated to huddle behind the ottoman.

. "She is not your child, nor will she ever be. You will never see her face; you will never know the sound of her laughter, or the sweet scent that is her smell. You will never hear her sweet voice or know her love; or even her name because you aren't even worth that. She is _my_ child. And you, you will die with the knowledge that Edward always loved me, that he wanted a child with me, and that you were nothing more than a toy to him. Something to amuse him until he grew bored of you."

She withdrew from the sudden sting of my words, and I could tell they struck a nerve. With the recoil of a snake she lunged at me, her eyes ablaze and bloodthirsty. It struck me as amusing that while I had seen before how quickly she could move, or so I _thought_, with my human eyes, it seemed that she moved in slow motion now. I leaned back over the ottoman and brought my legs up to my chest just as she reached me, so that my feet where planted in her chest. With a smile to my lips, I pushed with all the force I could muster, and launched her back into the dining room; where she completely decimated the dining room table. Pleased with myself I stood waiting as she pulled herself up, the alarm in her eyes giving her surprise away.

"Well well, our little kitty has claws. Let's see if she knows how to use them."

Again she ran at me, attempting to catch her arm around my neck, as if to come up behind me. But I was faster, and with one swift motion to raise my arm, I caught her in a clothesline; leaving her lying on her back beneath me. I smiled to myself thinking that this just might be easier than what I had feared. But in my brief moment of distraction and reassurance, she delivered a quick dose of reality as she swept her arms beneath my feet forcing me to land on my back on the ground as well. She quickly dove on top of me and with a grip on either side of my face she began to slam my head against the tile of the patio, and I heard it shattered and crumble beneath my head.

I threw my weight against her and we began a power struggle. For a few moments I would remain on top until she caught me off guard and then our stance would shift. One could swear we were having a gun fight, as the sound of marbled hitting marble echoed repeatedly of the trees as we exchanged blows. I appreciated how quick my reflexes were because when she was able to land a blow it was damned painful! After some time of blow after blow I felt my body began to weaken and I knew if I was to be victorious in this fight, it would have to come soon. Otherwise she would likely win once I became too exhausted to defend myself. She had me pinned between her legs pounding my face and body with one heavy blow after another. As I felt the pain of breaking bones just as quickly they were fading as each one healed. As a sound from the jungle caught her off guard, pulling her to look away, I took my moment. Bucking her off of my body I leapt into a defensive stance on my feet and kicked her square across the side of the head, leaving her off balance. In a final moment of courage I leaned over her body and wrapping my arms around her neck, I looked her in the eyes and whispered softly.

"Check mate." And with that I ripped her head from her body, wincing as the sound of shredding metal filled my ears. I stood breathing heavily as I took in her dead form lying at my feet.

"I did it," I smiled to myself, "I really did it!" I lifted my hands above my head and let out a cry of relief. My body was sore and exhausted but nothing I couldn't handle, besides I couldn't rest quite yet. I knew from my experience with James that the only way to truly kill her was to completely dismember her and burn the pieces to ash. I made quick work of it and soon there lay a pile of burning limbs and from it a pillar of sweet smelling purple smoke. Resisting the urge to dance around it like Tom Hanks from "Castaway", I instead opted to settle back into the sand.

I eyed the scorched coals, allowing my human mind to wander. As much as she was my enemy, I couldn't help but to pity her. Were we really all that different, she and I? All we both really wanted was to find love with someone that wanted us, needed us. We both had been hurt and abused by Edward, granted in our own varying ways; but still underneath it all she can't have been that bad. Then out of the silence where she sat in her own warrior stance, my vampire piped up.

"Um no, this is the bitch that tried to take away our child." I cocked my head to the side, well yes, there was that. When I could no longer stand the sickly sweet aroma of well done vampire, I stood and walked into the shallow tide of the water. Sighing heavily I wished more than anything that Jacob was here, to share in this moment with me as I'm sure he would. _Or will he? You are a vampire now. _My all too observant vampire points out, as if I hadn't already considered that. I did wonder at how he would respond to the changes in me. Would he still love me? Oh God, what if he decided to leave me? I imagined his face, and the sound of his voice saying how he loves me. No that was too much. How about just my name? Bella….Bella…Bella!

Wow I had to be going completely nuts because it was almost as if I could hear my name in his actual voice. And then I paused, realizing that it _was _his voice. Turning to look down the beach back toward the house, I couldn't believe my eyes. Jacob, _my _Jacob, was running at a full sprint along the beach toward me, followed at a distance by the Cullens. What were they doing here? How did they find this place? He called my name repeatedly but even in all of my joy I couldn't release my feet from the cement that kept them where they stood, planted in the sand. He hit me dead on and we fell head long into the water, him kissing me all over and rambling incessantly.

"Oh my God, Bella, I can't believe you're here and you're okay. I've missed you so much and I promise I will never let you out of my sight again!"

I laughed, completely giddy with joy and grabbed his face in my hands kissing him deeply. But when his eyes met mine, his expression shifted from night to day within seconds from boundless joy to utter confusion.

"Bella, what the hell is wrong with your eyes?"

_**Well apparently when inspiration strikes, it strikes hard! I wanted to do this chapter justice so in turn it's quite a bit longer. I look forward to your comments and reviews? Was it as good for you as it was for me? **_


	13. Chapter 13: Reunion

_**Hello again my lovelies! I am so happy with all of the new followers, favorites, and reviewers I've received since the last update. When I started this story I had no idea where I would take it but I am excited and grateful for the great responses I'm receiving. Not too shabby for my maiden voyage fic, if I do say so myself. Again I ended up working overtime for a closing shift yesterday and Friday so while I did get a chance to start this last night, I would much rather be a day late than to put out a half assed update. I know personally I would appreciate a more thought out update, rather than a filler chapter. **_

_**A/N: I do not any part of Twilight, it's characters, or its themes, but I'm sure Jacob would appreciate my story line more. **_

_**Chapter Thirteen: Reunion **_

**Alice POV **

After combing the streets of Rio for an entire day, I began to doubt my own intuition which was quite frustrating. I could feel the hostility radiating off of Jacob as he trudged through the city.

"So tell me Alice, how can someone who can see the future possibly be _so _aimless about everything else?"

I groaned, completely flustered, "I can't see _everything _Jacob! You are such a jerk."

Just dealing with him all day long had left me truly drained; he was so on edge all the time! Every person we passed eyed him warily and groups of children scattered to clear the path as he passed. He definitely didn't hold his tongue to spare my feelings and as we scoured the faces of the market we'd wandered into.

"I can't believe that you dragged us all the way out here and you're not even sure!"

"Damn it, Jacob," I clipped, "How can you be so dense! My visions are never wrong; they're based on the decision of the person that I see! Just because I see her in pieces, does _not _mean that she isn't here! This is why you should have just stayed at home in your little bubble because you just don't get it!"

Our bickering became so intense that Jasper even snapped, which was totally out of his known character. His resolve dissolved and he was completely unraveling. "If you two don't fucking stop it! I cannot handle this entire mess of chaos with Bella, trying to keep everyone else myself included sane, while you two decide to pick each other apart!

We both balked at his rebuke, looking at each other warily. Without another word he stalked past us and we found our way into a nearby hole in the wall café, where he settled into a around a small table on the patio silently and we sat quietly around him; watching the passersby. Jake stared each woman with long brown hair down as if she were Bella, and just as I opened my mouth to spit out a snide comment at Jacob I was caught completely off guard by a vision; flooding my subconscious with images.

_I was witnessing a fast paced fight, and the only distinguishing detail that I could pick out was a tangled mess of flaming orange-red hair; Victoria. She was flying backward through the air before crashing into a dinette set, leaving it in splinters. Within seconds she was on her feet and rushing back toward the origin of where she was launched from and only then did I catch a glimpse of her opponent. And there, on a large wooden deck, tastefully decorated with plush furniture I might add, stood Bella. She radiated utter rage, but she also looked different. Her skin was paler, (if that were even possible), but it also held a very unique tone with a little bit of glimmer under the surface. No way, she couldn't possibly be…could she? I didn't have long to mull over her appearance in more detail because Victoria quickly slammed into her, throwing both of them into a struggle. As the vision began to fade out, Bella looked out toward my point of view and I caught a glimpse of why she looked so different, she had golden eyes! _

(The vision fades out)

As soon as I came to, I was scrambling to grab my phone. Jake leaned in toward me and Jasper eyed me carefully.

"Okay, Alice, what did you see?"

I dialed Esme's number and put the phone to my ear snapping at him, "I'll get to you in a minute, dog." He snarled and sat back in a huff. Esme didn't answer so I hung up and immediately dialed Carlisle, brushing off another expectant glare from Jacob.

Thankfully, Carlisle answered on the second ring, "Alice! Esme has been trying to call you."

"Well then, that would explain my not being able to get through." I sighed with relief, but then again, that didn't explain how he knew about my vision. He continued before I could ask.

"We found a trail, and much more in fact. But this is much better explained in person, listen, we need the three of you to meet at the city docks. As quickly as you can manage without drawing unnecessary attention of course."

I nodded then stood quickly, causing Jasper and Jake to follow suit, "City docks, got it. We'll be there in fifteen minutes." Quickly clapping the phone closed, I waved for the boys to follow me back the way we came; explaining as we walked about what little Carlisle had said.

Jacob's ears perked up, "They found a trail? So they think they've found her?"

I sighed; heart broken by the unguarded light that I saw in his eyes, "He didn't say that Jacob, he said they found a trail, we still don't know what we'll find when we get to the end of it. But just know that this may not have a story book ending." I knew what we would find but I could bring myself to break that to him, not right now when he was so raw with hope. No, he'll find out soon enough why rush it? We rushed as quickly as possible through the crowds which seem to have doubled in size and moved twice as slowly as before. It took us nearly three times as long to reach our destination but at long last we rejoined our party at the entrance to the docks.

After a quick inventory of our group, I realized we were short both Esme and Rosalie. I met Carlisle's eyes, questioning him with my to which he simply responded, "Later." I nodded my understanding and Jake stepped into the group, clapping his hands together.

"So doc, where does this trail begin?"

Carlisle gestured toward a large speed boat tied off at the end of the pier, "It begins there."

And with that, Jake led the charge out to the boat where our group filed in and took our seats. As soon as everyone was settled in Carlisle stood and took the wheel. I waited until we were out on the water, gliding smoothly over the surface, and finally rose to stand next to him at the wheel.

Although I knew that every set of supernatural ears could hear us but I still spoke softly, trying not to flaunt the news of my vision. "I had a vision, Carlisle." He eyed me carefully, fearing what I might divulge next. After taking a moment to steady himself he nodded for me to continue.

"They were fighting, and it was pretty intense. But what surprised me, is that Bella was winning, I think."

His eyes scoured my face intensely, asking the question I expected immediately. Was she changed? I knew that if I didn't answer this very carefully we would have a werewolf to contend with on our boat so I simply nodded and said, "I believe so."

**Jacob POV**

We found her! I could not believe that we had finally gotten a lead, and a really strong one at that! After combing Rio for nearly an entire day without any real signs we were sitting on the patio of a small hold in the wall café, sulking about our lack of anything significant when Carlisle called with the news. I could not have reached the pier fast enough, and no sooner than I could blink we were ushered onto a glimmering speed boat until here we sat. I stood at the bow howling in relief relishing in the feel of the cool spray on my face as our boat skimmed across the water at top speed. As a tiny island came into view, Carlisle smiled and announced brightly, "Welcome to Isle Esme. It's just as beautiful as it was when Esme and I we were here last."

The expectancy and triumph of this moment caused smiles to grow on the faces of everyone seated on the boat. Suddenly the mood changed as we travelled closer and Alice gasped softly as her eyes were drawn behind me. I turned to see the climbing column of purple smoke and my nose was also filled with an oddly sweet odor, with a lingering odor that burned the inside of my nostrils. I turned back to Carlisle, "What is that?"

He stared at it grimly as he steered the boat up a large would dock, "That, Jacob, is a dead vampire."

The air was crackling with tension as Carlisle expertly steered the boat up to the dock but before it had come to a complete stop I was leaping out of it and scanning my immediate surroundings for clues. With no activity in the house seated near the beach, I turned and bolted for the only place we saw any movement, the root of that smoke. Alice and Jasper exchanged a quick look and they were on my heels.

"Jacob, wait! You have no idea what you'll find when you get there!"

I couldn't be bothered with that now; all I cared about was finally getting some good solid information in the last three months. And above anything else, my main goal was getting to my Bella and holding her in my arms again. As I approached the billowing column of smoke I could make out a slight form. It was female, and then I noticed the dark hair flowing to her waist. She stood and stepped out into the water, wrapping her arms around herself just like…Bella! I couldn't hold in my cries anymore. I just began screaming her name over and over. My heart leapt when she quirked her head my direction, then looked over. It was Bella! My Bella, standing on this beach! In front of me! She turned to face me but she didn't move to run to me. Part of me paused to wonder why but there was no force on the planet or elsewhere that could halt the force my body carried with it in the moment.

I barreled into her, knocking her into the water and almost drowning us both. As we came up sputtering from the tide, it appears her frozen form finally thawed and she kissed me deeply; and looked straight into my eyes smiling widely. Then at that moment, my heart stopped. Looking back at me instead of her deep brown eyes, were a set of golden eyes. Before I could stop them the words tumbled out, "Bella, what the hell is wrong with your eyes?"

She balked and shrunk back from me, tears filling her eyes as she stood and began to nervously adjust her clothes; which were now completely soaked. "Jacob, I'm so happy to see you. There are a lot of things that have, um, happened since we were together last. I promise I will explain everything."

In seconds I felt like a complete jerk. All this time away from her and the first thing that I do is start accusing her? I immediately took her into my arms and held her against my chest. "I'm so sorry love, I wasn't thinking. Please forgive me. I'm sure that we have plenty to discuss. For now, I just want to relish this."

Her anxiety melted and she threw her arms around my neck. What struck me as totally odd was that although I assumed from her eyes that she was changed, holding her against me she was still warm. Wait, wasn't she supposed to be all cold? There were so many questions racing through my mind that I had to remind myself to breathe. After quite a few minutes, I finally released her and we turned to the beach. The Cullens stood around the smoldering pile of limbs and apparently trying to give us a little bit of space. I took Bella's hand into mine and led her up onto the beach, where I was grateful to find out that it wasn't just me that she was standoffish with. Each one took their turn embracing her, while Alice talked incessantly of course. Once everyone had their chance we stepped back and an awkward silence ensued.

Thankfully, Carlisle intervened, clapping his hands. "Well I'm sure we are all thrilled to have Bella back, why don't we go inside and we can find out more about what happened here. I assume this pile of ashes was Victoria?"

Bella smiled sheepishly, "Well you would be right. I guess I have a bit of explaining to do, don't I?"

As we turned to walk back down the beach toward the house, I took her hand in mine and kissed it. "I would say so!"


	14. Chapter 14: Questions Answered

_**Well good evening to all of you, my wonderful readers. I'm so glad for those that are reading, reviewing and following my stories. I am grateful for a peaceful evening with a few glasses of wine in which I can settle in to update. Today has been the day from hell and especially following a week that's been tougher than most, I really hope that this chapter flows smoothly. **_

_**I do have to say that I'm pretty happy with this story for the most part as well as the story line and the character progression. You're compliments and reviews mean the world to me, and as dorky as I know that it makes me sound you guys have my simply hovering over my email each morning just waiting to see what y'all think of the story as it goes. I am both humbled and honored by your comments and encouragement. So after a quick wine refill, I'm onto the next chapter and the next glass. **_

_**A/N: I do not own any portion of Twilight, it's characters, or its themes; shocking I know. **_

**Chapter Fourteen: Questions Answered**

**Bella POV:**

"I can't believe you're real." Jacob sat with me curled up on his lap, his shock still lingering. I smiled warmly and leaned up to kiss the base of his jaw line.

"I know beloved, I still can't believe you just showed up and almost drowned me on the beach." I giggled softy but in the midst of my joy and relief I couldn't allow myself to breathe yet. No matter how excited I was to see him here, there were too many unknown factors here. And even though he'd found me on the beach more than five hours prior, we still hadn't discussed so many things that to be frank were inevitable; they had to be addressed. But for now, we just sat out on the deck, in the large arm chair that I had favored over the prior months, me draped across his lap; simply enjoying one another's presence. The others had the good grace to give us some privacy so they had ventured into the forest to hunt, unnecessarily but considerate nonetheless. Finally, I knew that I had to start the conversation that I knew we'd both dreaded.

"So Jake, I know some things have changed and I know we need to talk them out, so we're both on the same page, you know?"

He gently gripped my chin and brought my lips to his, murmuring softly after I pulled away, "Whatever it is, honey, we can figure it out together. Where do you want to start?"

My mind swam with all of the different things I knew we would have to discuss, but I decided to start with the one which was both the most obvious and the easiest."Well, obviously I have changed a bit. That's as good a place to start as any."

He nodded soberly and I knew this was a sore spot for him so I continued without his provocation. "And while there have been some minor changes in my reflexes, my skin, my eyes, as well as my ability to heal, for the most part I feel very much the same. I don't crave blood like I expected to, in fact I actually prefer human food. I haven't even had the smallest of urges to hunt at all."

With this initial bit of news, he breathed a small sigh of relief. "I will say I do see some minor changes in your appearance but you don't stink, which I'm grateful for."

"Hey!"I punched him lightly in the shoulder and he winced, eliciting an apology from me.

He looked apologetic but still he continued his tone just a little more wary, "Well, I am grateful. I was terrified when I saw your eyes that you would be exactly like them, including their smell. And to be honest, I couldn't take it if you smelled like that. They reek like bleach and it burns my nose, but your scent is still the same. It's just more concentrated, if that's even possible. If I had to call a difference, I would say there's a slight edge to it, but it's not at a bad thing. Almost like the tartness of wine, it just adds to the intensity of the flavor, which I like." He ended that with a smile and to reiterate his point, he buried his nose into my neck below my ear, nibbling lightly. "Oh and on top of that you're still warm, quite warmer than before which is totally a turn on for me." He wagged his eye brows at me and I had to restrain myself from punching his shoulder again.

I couldn't resist the smile that crept onto my lips, I was so relieved! After spending many countless hours worrying over how he would react, it was such a huge weight off of my shoulders. I couldn't even bring up the next subject that we had yet to discuss, a larger factor than even my appearance; Grace. As he pulled my face to his, lacing his fingers through my air I allowed myself to embrace him all the while trying to work out how best way to bring her up. Then it hit me, he needed to meet her. Without knowing how sweet, intelligent, and loving she is, he had no way to truly know her, therefore no reason to do anything but reject her. So for the moment I didn't say anything, I simply envisioned having Esme and Rosalie bring her out to the island to meet her.

Within a few moments I was greeted by a victorious cheer from Alice before she came bounding out of the trees and onto the patio, interrupting us. "Oh yay! Esme and Rosalie are on their way here. I'm sure Esme absolutely can't wait to see this place again, by the way Carlisle's been talking about it. They'll be here very soon."

I mouthed a quick thank you and she winked subtly at me before bouncing inside, soon followed by the others. And her excitement gave me enough of the courage I needed to climb off of Jacob's lap and stand in front of him. "When Esme and Rosalie arrive, I want you to see something. And I need you to keep a completely open mind here, okay?"

His eyes clouded over but he yet he still nodded, his gaze questioning mine.

"Good." I smiled, and leaned over to kiss him softly. "I can't really explain much more until they get here but I promise you, it will be okay. For now I think we should stop being so rude and go inside to at least talk with the others. I'm sure Carlisle is brimming with questions."

Chuckling in response, he quietly rose. He froze for a moment taking me into his arms and pulling me to his chest where we stood frozen for a few more moments while he buried his face in my hair. Finally he pulled away, lacing his fingers into mind and we walked inside to join the others in the large open plan living room.

As I predicted Carlisle's eyes were dancing with curiosity but he, in all of his good manners, allowed us to settle into together on the couch before he started in on me.

"Bella, you know that I'm a student of knowledge and as you can guess I have a ton of questions."

I smiled accommodatingly, "Well then, by all means, ask away Doc."

And so he began, "So Bella, tell me, what is your appetite like? I know newborns are sometimes overwhelmed by it."

I shrugged, "Not exactly, actually I prefer human food. I haven't even had the urge to hunt or drink blood or anything."

His surprise was evident, "Really? Simply marvelous; now how are your reflexes and your energy level? Do you require sleep?"

"I do seem to tire just no so quickly, and yes I do need sleep just in smaller doses, which is good I guess. My reflexes and my strength are much better, even though sometimes my balance still sucks. Jake here can attest to the increase in strength."

I looked over at Jacob and so did Carlisle and he chuckled, rubbing his shoulder lightly. "Yeah, she almost dislocated my shoulder earlier just being playful. I'd hate to truly make her mad, she surely break bones." Then suddenly his expression was serious, "So Doc, what do you think changed her? Was it Victoria? And why is she so different from all of you?"

Carlisle's eyes jumped directly to mine and he paused, and then opened his mouth to answer only to be interrupted by the sound of an approaching boat. We all listened in silence as it came closer then Carlisle seemed to remember something that deeply saddened him, but he didn't comment on it. He quick regained his composure, then stood smiling, "That will be my beautiful wife and Rosalie; I'll go greet them. Everyone please, stay comfortable, I'll bring them inside shortly.

I held my breath knowing that the moment of truth was drawing near. Jacob would finally meet Grace. The question was, would he accept her as quickly as he did me or would he reject her completely?

As scary as it was we were going to quickly find that answer out.

**Jacob POV:**

As much as I loved the feeling of having Bella in my arms again, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something. And I must say, the looks I kept catching as they're passed between the other members of the group only confirmed that I was right. But from what I figured this must be big and Bella must be working out how to tell me in her own way. We had already spent a few months away from her and I could tell that she was on edge as well, so I didn't want to push her. So I decided that I would have to put my feelings on the back burner here and trust her. And as Carlisle stood and hurried out to meet the arriving boat, it appeared that I would finally have my answer.

Bella kissed me then stood and rushed out after Carlisle. After a solid ten minutes of no news I was almost ready to go outside and investigate, when Esme and Carlisle walked into the room, his arm wrapped around her waist.

Esme smiled warmly down at me, "Hello Jacob, Bella asks if you would kindly join her outside on the patio."

I felt that it was strange that Bella wouldn't come in to get me herself but then again I had decided to let her do this own way, so I stood nervously wringing my hands, and slowly walked outside. Behind me I heard the excited murmur of those left inside the house and I knew this had to be something big if it had everyone else so excited over it. Once I stepped outside I saw a Rosalie standing in the middle of the patio, blocking my view of where Bella stood behind her.

"Hey Blondie, are you playing security detail now?" In response she simply glared at me, not moving. Then from behind her, Bella spoke.

"It's okay Rose, let him pass. It will be okay, I promise; I trust him."

She huffed but didn't resist, then silently she moved aside. Bella herself did not show any differences, however my eyes quickly fell on the toddler in her arms. And then realization dawned, she was pregnant you oaf, that is what left her changed! This was apparently the big secret that everyone knew but me.

Bella held the child firmly to her hip with one tiny fist against the base of her neck. She inhaled deeply then finally spoke in a shaky voice, "Jacob, this is Grace; my baby girl."

As much as I wanted to speak, my brain seemed to have lost all function and my mouth couldn't form words. I stepped silently toward her and as I got closer, finer details of the child became apparent. Eyes which matched Bella's, warm molten gold, and hair the color of dark chocolate, with hints of copper highlights throughout. Fine, shimmery ringlets fell to her tiny shoulders and her skin had Bella's blush, with a little shimmer to it as well. She glowed in the warm light of the setting sun.

Her face watched me warily and as soon as I came close enough to touch her she shied away from my hand, hiding her face in Bella's shoulder. But still Bella nodded the okay and I laid my hand on the toddler's back, caressing her softly. After a few moments of this, she turned back toward me but still hid her eyes in Bella's hair, watching me.

I smiled, "Hello, Grace, my name is Jacob." When she didn't respond Bella pulled her small fist up to kiss it softly, "Grace, honey, Jacob is mommy's friend. Why don't you say hello?" Finally she pulled her face back around and smiled softly at Jacob. She looked toward Bella and once she received an encouraging nod, she almost immediately turned to me and threw her arms in my direction, squeezing her fist impatiently.

"She wants you to hold her, if that's okay." Bella whispered softly. "If it's not, I understand, I know this is a lot to take in."

That was the understatement of the century but in all honesty, while I was pretty surprised I was also entranced by this beautiful little girl. I reached my arms out to her and smiled warmly, taking her tiny body into my arms. "Hi Grace." This time she smiled and laid her head on my shoulder, which ignited a feeling inside of me that I'd never experienced before. I felt the need to protect her, and Bella. I could see her and I raising this little girl together, taking walks on the beach at La Push, her toddling in the yard with Bella and I, Sam and Emily; with their child. I had never really been one to envision myself as a father, but this situation had drawn a lot of feelings out in me that I had no idea where they had come from.

I moved in closer to Bella, and leaned in to kiss her deeply. At the growing protest from Grace in my arms, I pulled away and we laughed. But in that moment I knew what I wanted more than anything else in the world.

I wrapped my unoccupied arm around Bella's waist, and put my nose to hers.

"Bella honey, these months without you have been the hardest I've ever known and they've given me some time to gain so real perspective on what I want out of life. And after all of my questions and even after all that has happened today the answer is clear and resounding in my heart. I want you, now and forever. I want to make a family with you, Grace and I and we can teach her all that she needs to know about life. I'm saying all of this to say one thing.

Bella, will you marry me?"


	15. Chapter 15: Home Sweet Home

_**Well hello again everyone, and Happy Sunday. Once again I'm late, I know. I've been super stressed out and today is no exception as my parent's dog has gone missing since yesterday. Work has also been taxing and inspiration has been a little hard to come by this couple of weeks but I'm excited to report that it struck hard today so I'm really thrilled to present the next installment in our story. Thank you again to all who are reading, reviewing, and following my stories; for your patronage I am grateful. I think you all will definitely enjoy where I take the story from here. With that, let's get to the story!**_

_**A/N: I do not own any part of Twilight, its characters, or its themes; although I do slightly think my Bella is so better. **_

**Chapter Fifteen: Home Sweet Home**

**Bella POV:**

"Kaure and Gustavo have been very dear to our hearts for many years and it is much sadness that we bid them farewell. We promise that their memories will not be forgotten." Tears streamed my cheeks and Esme sobbed softly to my right as Carlisle spoke.

I nodded in agreement, "I can never thank Kaure enough for the risks she took in caring for me and Grace both the way that she did. And for which she and her family paid the ultimate price. There will never be a day that I don't think of her and all that she taught about life and about how to love unconditionally; thank you Kaure."

Our group stood in silence high on the beach on Isle Esme, holding a memorial service for the family of Gustavo and Kaure, whom Victoria had slain in her search for my baby. I had no idea how they made it possible but the bodies had been transported her where they were enveloped in white linens and adorned with beautiful flowers and fragrant herbs before they were laid on wooden beds and lowered into the graves that had been prepared for them. I wasn't very knowledgeable about how this sort of thing was supposed to go but when Carlisle told me all that had happened back on the mainland I had to do something to pay homage to their family.

It broke my heart to hear of the brave girl that was left completely orphaned as a result. I was more grateful than I could ever express for the fact that she protected Grace, so much so that I wanted to take her back to the states and care for her as a part of my own family. It took a lot of convincing by Esme to help me understand that it would be more harmful than help and that ultimately it was better that the girl remained here in Rio with her grandmother. So, with a finally tearful good bye to Kaure's resting place and a promise to always honor her memory, we left Isle Esme and returned to the states to attempt regain some normalcy in our lives.

**Charlie POV**

"We found her, Charlie. We had some things to wrap up here but we should be home by tomorrow night."

I slumped into my arm chair, breathing a completely habitual sigh of relief. They found her; they had found my baby girl! "How is she Jake, is she okay? Is she hurt?" Immediately my mind began to scroll through every possible scenario, each one worse than the last. I never would have guessed what he would say next.

"She's fine, Charlie, in a manner of speaking. No injuries but some interesting developments to say the least. But I think it's unfair for anyone other than her to tell you. Hang on." I could hear a hushed argument as he attempted to hand her the phone and she protested angrily.

Eventually she came on the line, sounding as nervous as ever, "Hi, daddy."

Relief flooded my entire body and nothing else matter but for the fact that they found her and my little girl was on the other end of that phone. "Hey baby. How are you, are you okay?"

She stuttered as if trying to find just the right words, "Yes, dad, I'm fine. A lot of things have happened that I should tell you about, but I've never been better. It's so good to hear your voice."

The grin on my face spread from ear to ear just hearing her voice, and that she missed hearing mine. But still my curiosity got the best of me; call it my inner cop. "So, what has happened?"

I could hear her hesitate and I wanted to do anything I could to ease her mind. "Honey, there isn't anything you can't tell me. I know about the baby." The confidence and steady tone of my own voice astounded me.

From the other end I heard an audible gasp as well as a stutter as she struggled to find words, "You know about the…um, wow. I'm sorry…what did you say?" I chuckled warmly at her lack of subtlety.

"Yes Bells, I know that you were pregnant when you were taken. And we'll talk more about that when you get home. But for now, do I have a grandson or a granddaughter?"

The smile in her voice was completely evident as she spoke, her pride wearing through, "It's a girl, she's beautiful dad and so unique. I can't wait for you to meet her."

"I can't wait either baby, what did you decide to name her?"

"Her name is Grace; she has so much of both of us in her. I've never known love like this, dad, I am so proud of her and terrified for her all at the same time."

I couldn't contain the laugh that bubbled up out of my chest, "Yeah? Well Bells, welcome to the life of a parent. It will introduce you to more emotion than you will ever know, but at the same time it's exhausting albeit worth it. I can't wait to meet her…" Her voice trailed off as if she wanted to say something more but then she stopped and I could imagine her chewing her lip out of nervousness, I'd assume. "Bells, what is it?"

She took in a deep breath then started again, "Well dead, in the process of having Grace and dealing with Victoria…Well dad, she changed me."

"What I'd like to do to that women if I could find her. Changed you? Well I think that it's safe to assume that anyone would be different after an experience like that. How do you mean she cha-…" And then I got it, I understood.

Bella was a vampire, like me.

I paused for a moment, my words caught in my throat. She cleared her throat and I was finally able to speak.

"Well Bells, it appears that we have a lot to talk about when you get home."

**Bella POV**

"Oh Bella, this is going to be absolutely perfect! Let me handle everything, you won't have to stress about a single tiny detail." Alice gushed excitedly upon my one and only concession over a beautiful albeit elaborate bridal gown in her latest edition of Vogue Weddings magazine. From the second I nodded noncommittally I envisioned this moment and, as predicted, she immediately fell into a tailspin again. "I can just see it all laid out! Everyone will be seated in white chairs in the garden, and we'll have millions of flowers cascading from the trees. It will be absolutely magical with twinkle lights everywhere and we'll have dance floor and the tables can be arranged…"

I groaned loudly, not bothering to disguise my exasperation over her over eager attitude. Ever since we had returned home from Rio she had been trying to bowl me over with elaborate plans for Jake and my upcoming nuptials.

"Alice I've told you, we don't some fluffed up masquerade ball. I've told you a million times. We just want to…"

She rolled her eyes dramatically and spoke the words in unison with me as I finished the sentence, "…keep it simple. I know, I know."

With that, she stood, and swiped the magazine from the seat of the couch where it laid open. "Fine, I get it. I mean, why would you want a beautiful, perfect, fairy tale wedding when you could just have a bond fire and dance around it hollering like a complete fool? It's your choice, of course." Her snide tone cut deep and it completely surprised me to hear such nastiness from of all people, her. But in all of her mood swings lately, I didn't feel the need to give in to her as I did before. This was a day meant for Jake and me, to celebrate us and it should be done how we want it to be done. I'm not going to let it become a circus just because I'm afraid of offended Alice and her manipulative tendencies.

I didn't want the memories that I have of my wedding day to be something that someone else created for me. I couldn't help but think that Alice felt as if she were planning my wedding with Edward as the groom, rather than Jacob. And to be completely honest, it was rather creepy, so the more she pushed for her vision, the more I avoided her. Eventually I stopped answering her incessant calls and texts and in turn began spending more and more time with Emily. Her tastes were more similar to mine and I was getting more and more excited as the details came together.

In a matter of weeks we had every detail worked out and if everything came together as planned, Jacob and I would be married in less than five days! I sat on the floor of Emily's living room, completely surrounded by endless piles of her colorful sketches, with Grace playing content in the nearby corner. Each one illustrated one detail or another of Jake and my wedding day. I loved wedding planning with Emily, she made sure that each and every part was what I wanted it to be and then she helped me work out how we would make it happen.

It only seemed fitting that Jake and I would be married on the beach at La Push. I couldn't imagine anything more fitting, he and I standing barefoot in the sand, speaking our vows. I had invited Alice to be a bridesmaid, completely contingent on her remaining a spectator. She reluctantly agreed after realizing it was all or nothing. Emily of course would stand with me as my Maid of Honor, and also Leah Clearwater and Jake's sister Rachel would be bridesmaids as well. It was without saying that the pack would be the groomsmen. Not only that but we had the perfect flower girl. At that thought I looked over at Grace, who sat gurgling to herself while she played quietly.

Emily drew my attention back into the conversation, "So, the décor would be simple, with lanterns lining the aisle. The guys have built the "altar" out of drift wood lumber where we'll use sheer fabrics draped in blue and ivory, like you chose. I think you're right, using the driftwood trees for seats will be ultra fitting; considering the history there." She winked at me playfully and I blushed.

As she spoke she laid out the sketches to illustrate and seeing it all come together brought tears to my eyes. "Em, I can't tell you how much this means to me that you're here to help through all of this. I am so totally lost when it comes to this kind of thing but you have helped make it more than perfect. Thank you."

"Oh Bella, you are so much more than welcome!" She stood on her knees and leaned over to me, hugging me warmly. "This day is going to be so perfect for just you and Jacob. Now, I want to show you your dress."

I rolled my eyes, back to business. She reached into the pile and withdrew her sketchbook, peeling back the cover and handing it to me. On the page was a beautifully drawn dress, complete with color. It was a beautiful ivory strapless gown the flowed beautifully to the ground, with an empire waist and a thick champagne colored band just under the bust line. A small delicate flower detail adorned the band and from the detail in the drawing it appeared the dress had a light lace overlay. And suddenly I couldn't imagine marrying Jake wearing anything else. I looked up into Emily anxious expression and paused briefly just to tease her, before breaking into a broad smile. "It's perfect, Em; absolutely perfect."

She beamed with pride, "I'm so happy that you like it Bella, I've been sewing nonstop…"

"Wait a second, you've _been _sewing? What were you going to do if I said I didn't like it?"

She paused as if just having considered that thought. "Well the good news is that we don't have to worry about that now do we? Let me show it to you!" She was on her feet in an instant sprinting into her bedroom and hurrying to the closet. In less than a minute she was hurrying back into the room to where I sat giggling, and in her hands was a white garment bag. She laid it on the couch and pulled the bag open to reveal the real life interpretation of the gown in the drawing. I gasped, as it was even more breathe taking in person.

She lifted the dress out of the bag and held it up for me to see, "Would you like to try it on?" I looked at her as if she had grown horns, "Uh, yea, I do think so!" She laughed with me as I picked up Grace and we scurried into her bedroom to play dress up.

At this rate, our wedding day couldn't get here fast enough!


	16. Chapter 16: Where to Start?

_**Good morning all! Thank you again to all of you who are reading, reviewing, and following my stories. Your support still means the world to me. I know it's been awhile since I've updated last and for that I apologize. Work has been insanely taxing but on the up side I've been selected for a mentorship opportunity, which is a HUGE opportunity. But all in all I won't ramble much I know anxious for our story to continue. **_

_**A/N: I do not own any part of Twilight, it's characters, or its themes; that is all. **_

_**Chapter Sixteen: Where To Start**_

**Jacob POV**

I stood in the large dingy mirror in the bathroom, struggling to properly tie the knot in my tie. Finally I gave up and ditched the entire idea and tossed the piece of fabric across the room, tie schmy. Who wears a tie to a wedding on the beach anyway? I straightened my clothes for what had to have been the millionth time this morning. It still amazed me that this day had finally arrived; today I would finally make an honest woman of Bella. As it was, I had been up since well before dawn, unable to relax enough to rest. Even after running almost clear to Canada I had still returned invigorated rather than exhausted. So eventually I gave up trying and decided to get ready; so what if I was a little early? A familiar voice snapped my mind back to the present.

"You know son, there's no hurry here. You and Bella have been together for a long time, I still can't see what the harm would be in waiting a few years."

I rolled my eyes at his incessant nagging. This was the elephant in the room, my father's disapproval of our marrying so young. I can't say that Charlie was too thrilled about the concept either. Just the memory of that conversation brought a smile to my lips. Boy that was painful conversation full of plenty of unpleasant moments.

**Flashback**

_Soon after arriving back in Forks, we drove to Charlie's house and were met with him seated on the porch steps, waiting. Bella hardly had time to unbuckle her seatbelt before her car door was yanked open and Charlie swept her into a bear hug. While they embraced I quietly pulled Grace from the backseat of the brand new car seat that Rosalie had purchased for her and stood back, not wanting to interrupt the moment. I nuzzled Grace sweetly and put my finger to my lips, telling her to remain quiet. She smiled, enjoying our private joke. _

"_Bella honey, I'm so glad your home safe and sound!" He stood rooted in one place as Bella sobbed softly into his shoulder. "Me too daddy, me too; I've missed you so much." _

_Time seemed to stop for them but after what felt like an hour to me, time continued to flow normally and the moment ended. He pulled away from her, although she lingered, reluctant to let the moment go. Charlie left his arm draped over his shoulder and turned to me. His surprise was audible when he laid eyes on Grace for the first time. _

"_Bella honey, she is beautiful. She looks so much like you! Your eyes, your hair…wow, I mean just…wow." _

_Bella giggled softly causing Grace to do the same which drew smiles from me and Charlie as well. He approached her carefully not wanting to frighten her, "Hi Grace, I'm your grandpa Charlie." She reached a hand out to him and he took it into his palm, running his finger tips over her glassy alabaster skin. "Simply beautiful." _

_The sound of an animal scurrying in the trees nearby seemed to remind everyone present that we were still standing outside. Charlie chuckled and turned to lead the troop into the house. I was completely surprised that the house wasn't in shambles, quite the opposite it was actually clean. _

_Bella looked as surprised as I was at the state of the house. At our expressions Charlie seemed that he would blush if that were physically possible, "Sue has been staying her quite a bit; she helps me keep things in order." My eyes shot to Bella's face in the same instant that she was searching mine with her own. I smiled reassuringly and she surprisingly smiled back. I saw no trace of anxiety there. _

"_Way to go dad, kudos!" She praised him. _

"_Enough of that," He stuttered, uncomfortable with the attention directed at him. "Have a seat you two, or should I say three. You weren't lying Bella, she is absolutely stunning. But I'm a little confused. You were only gone for what two, three months? I'm no doctor but isn't pregnancy normally a nine month deal? Not only that, but she is much bigger than a newborn."_

_Bella nodded somberly and swallowed the lump her throat before speaking, "Well dad, because Grace is part human and part vampire she seems to age very quickly. She reached full term in just a couple of months and since she was born she has continued to mature at an alarming rate. Carlisle is trying to find the cause but he hasn't found anything yet." _

_Charlie nodded slowly, but then paused again, "Wait, you said she was half human half vampire? But when we spoke on the phone you said she changed you? How is it that she was a vampire already?" _

_I felt her glaring darts into the side of my head, "I thought you told him."_

"_I did tell him about Grace, not about anything that happened before he was changed." _

_She stared at the floor; she chewed her bottom lip nervously until Charlie interrupted again. "Okay what do you mean anything that happened before? What happened, Bella?" Oh lord, he was in full on cop mode now and she squirmed beneath his penetrating gaze._

"_Well dad, you know that Edward was the vampire that changed you right?" He nodded so she continued. "The thing is before he came here, he attacked me." Charlie was on his feet in an instant, "What the hell, Bella, he attacked you?What do you mean he attacked you?" _

_It looked as if Bella would disappear into the floor boards if she could, "He raped me dad." _

"_HE WHAT?! I'LL KILL HIM; I'LL RIP HIS SPARKLY ASS TO SHREDS!"_

_He was stalking around the living room and Grace huddled into my chest, trembling as he raged; until Bella stood in front of him putting a hand to his chest. "Dad, calm down. I know it's a lot to take in but Jake and the pack have already killed Edward for what he did. Please sit down, you're scaring Gracie." _

_With one quick look into her fear stricken eyes, his anger immediately waned and he sat heavily into his arm chair, eliciting a groan from the old wooden frame. "My God, Bella, I had no idea. I'm so sorry baby." She laid a hand on his shoulder and whispered softly, "I know dad, me too. But the one saving grace out of this whole mess is that beautiful little girl over there. She can't control who her daddy is any more than what anyone else can. So please don't be angry with her. She has been through a lot too and she needs her paw-paw." At the sound of the nickname, he looked up into Bella's face then he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist, and hugged her tightly. _

"_Now dad, Jake and I have some other news for you as well." He released her leaning back into his arm chair and eying us both warily, "I don't know if I can take any more news today, kids." _

"_Oh but dad, this is good news, wonderful even. Jake and I are getting married." I stood and moved to stand next to her; Grace still seated in my arms, and took her hand into mine. We need to represent a united front; this was going to be interesting._

_As expected Charlie was shocked and he stood, holding his hands up in surrender, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second here. What's this about marriage? I've just gotten you back, only to find out that not only are you vampire, but you've also got a child who was a result of a sexual assault by a guy that I hated anyway and now this? When did this happen?"_

_I felt two pairs of eyes fall on me as both Charlie and Bella both looked at me simultaneously; I guess that was my cue. "Well Charlie, to be quite honest, I had be thinking about this over the last few months but when I saw her again, with this little angel." I gestured to the toddler nestled in my arms against my chest, "That told me all that I needed to know. I want us to be a family and I know we're meant to be together. I know we're young but I can provide for both of them, and we'll be close by in La Push where you're always free to visit. The guys have been building our house since before I left for Rio, and it should be done any day now. It'll be the nicest house on the reservation, one that your daughter would be proud to call her home. And while I do know that a lot has happened pretty quickly but I would say in this whole ordeal has taught both of us more than our share of life experience so I think we could do it." There, I had said my peace so now I sat in wait, hoping the response would be a positive one. While I would definitely love to have Charlie's approval, it wasn't a deal breaker if he said no. The entire house seemed to hold it's breathe as his gaze shifted from Bella's face, to mine, then to Grace's. After what seemed like an eternity the intensity behind his eyes melted and he could no longer contain his smile. _

"_Okay kids, well I can't say that I'm not surprised but considering all of the negative that's happened here lately, I think it's high time that some good came out of all of this." _

_**(End of Flashback)**_

I smiled at the memory of that afternoon and how, to the surprise of both Bella and I, Charlie had so quickly accepted the idea of our marriage. Unfortunately my dad wasn't so thrilled, and he made no secret of his distaste for the fact that I would be taking a vampire as my wife; even if that vampire was Bella. It wasn't as if our relationship had ever been particularly Brady Bunch, but over the weeks prior things became even more strained between he and I. So much so that it surprised me that he even showed up at all today, I half expected that he would have boycotted the entire event. Thankfully the pack took the news pretty well and out of respect for Bella and all that she had gone through, they didn't dare voice their opinions even when she was not around even if they didn't agree with it.

"Jake, son, did you hear what I said? I just don't see why you both don't give it more time."

I held up a hand to stop him from going any further, "Just stop dad, I love Bella and we _are_ getting married today. And no matter what you say, nothing is going to change that. While I do love you and I do respect you even if you don't think that I do; this is just not up for discussion."

More words lingered behind his eyes and his mouth hung open, poised and waiting to respond but he clamped his mouth closed into a grim line. He nodded and clapped my arm with his hand, "I just want the two of you to be happy, but I don't want you to lose your heads here. I also don't want you to go diving into marrying a woman who is not only a cold one but also one who has a child. Children are serious business, even ones that don't have her condition. I can see that there is no changing your mind here, just know that this is forever. Especially for the two of you, both of you are immortal now so it's literally forever."

I chuckled when I realized how right he was about that very fact. Bella and I would actually be able to be together for eternity. Suddenly I couldn't wait to get to the altar, to make her my wife. At that I noticed Sam lean into the door from the hallway.

"It's time Jake, Alice is calling for us to take our places so we can get this shindig started. Dang man she is pushy isn't she?"

I laughed and stepped out of the bathroom as my dad rolled out into the living room and waited patiently. "Yeah she is, apparently she has been driving Bella insane with her obsessive compulsive ways since the news of the wedding came out. We're only letting her think that she's in control of this whole thing, but all the while Bella has had to put her in her place a few times. I'm actually kind of proud of her. Let's get out there and get this thing started!"

Sam whooped and cheered until he looked down and realized that I lacked my tie. "Whoa man, Alice will kill me if I let you walk of here like that. Where is your tie?"

I shrugged, "It refused to cooperate so I tossed it, who needs it anyway?"

Shaking his head he rushed off to the bathroom and retrieved the discarded tie. "Man, if you were anyone but the groom I might say you could get away with it and hope that no one noticed but if all of us are wearing shirts and ties, you have to follow suit here." He swiftly wrapped it around my neck and deftly tied a clean knot. I returned to the mirror to inspect his work and couldn't help but recognize that it did add to the sexy factor.

"Wow thanks dude and thank you for being my best man. I couldn't think of anyone else to stand with me other than my pack. What do you say? Let's go get married!"

We walked out on to the porch and I was stunned to silence but the transformation that had taken place while I had been cooped up inside. Soft windpipe music wafted from the nearby beach, and large white arrangements adorned a path lining the path to the edge of the sand. Interspersed with the flowers were turquoise paper lanterns glowing warmly in the late morning sun. The aroma from the blooms filled my nose but it wasn't overwhelming. I paused for a moment to close my eyes and inhale deeply and savor the moment before opening them again and beginning our trek to the beach.

_**This is as good a time as any to go ahead and stop for tonight. I want to do the next part of our story justice and it would feel incredibly rushed if I tried to add it as the ending of a chapter. I promise it will not be nearly as long before I update again, but for now good evening to all of you. Oh, and don't forget to review and leave me your comments!**_


	17. Chapter 17: Today I Will Marry My Friend

_**Happy Halloween and hello again my lovelies! I know it's been quite a while since my last update and I hate that I've missed the last couple of weeks but the I've had some amazing opportunities at work that I've really immersed myself into. I haven't forgotten our story believe you me, this chapter is actually one that I've been excited about for awhile. Who isn't a sucker for a Twilight wedding, right? I think this is how the wedding scene should have originally gone down, but that's just my opinion. Either way, thank you again for those of you who are reading, reviewing and following my stories. You're support is priceless to me. **_

_**A/N: Again, I own no part of Twilight, it's characters or it's themes as set forth by Stephenie Meyer. Now my dreamt up wedding between Bella and Jacob, that part is mine. **_

**Chapter Seventeen: This Day I Will Marry My Best Friend**

**Bella POV: **

I stood hidden from view watching my family and friends assemble on the beach, and I couldn't contain the smile that stretched from ear to ear. Feeling the silken white sand between my toes grounded me, what little nerves that I had. Every detail Emily had put into place, from the lanterns to the turquoise fabric inter mingled with cream and lace accenting here and there, and the sweet scent of the interspersed flower arrangements did nothing but add to my building excitement. I was pulled from my reverie by the familiar tinker of Alice's voice, which almost seemed harsh in comparison to the tenderness of this romantic atmosphere.

"There you are Bella! Don't disappear on me like that! You're the main event, and if I lose track of you our whole schedule goes to hell!" With a heavy harrumph, she proceeded to chastise me with her eyes.

I rolled my eyes, put my hands onto her shoulders and forced her to meet my gaze, "Alice, I know this is completely unnecessary, but breathe. If I'm the main event, then it'll start when I'm ready. For now I'm enjoying a moment to myself on my wedding day. I'm not worried about any schedule; I'm just looking forward to enjoying the day with my family and friends."

When she started to protest again, I held up a hand to halt her once more, "Now Alice, we had an agreement. You are a bridesmaid, not my wedding planner. But today I don't need a planner; I need my friend to stand with me in this. Can you do that for me, Alice?" Her mouth still hung open and ready to respond but at my question she paused and clamped her mouth shut, nodding in agreement. "Thank you, now let's get back to Emily's and make sure the girls are ready to get started."

At hearing this, her eyes lit up and she took my hand as we snuck back to Emily's house, remaining as inconspicuous as possible to avoid anyone seeing us. As we reached the porch, Emily opened the front door and swept me inside.

"There you are Bella, I was beginning to wonder. Oh sweetie, you are such a vision in that dress. Jake is going to lose his mind when he sees you in it." We all giggled and she handed me my bouquet, an assortment of blooms accented with lilies, my favorite flower. I buried my nose into the arrangement and inhaled deeply; wanting to ingrain to scent in my mind forever. Rachel joined us carrying my beautiful daughter who was dressed in her own ivory tulle flower girl dress and a teal ribbon tied around her waist, with Leah in tow. Gracie and I leaned toward one another and she sweetly met my eyes with butterfly kisses.

"Thank you baby, you looked beautiful! Daddy is going to love your dress." She smiled broadly in response to my compliment. Alice choked slightly at my reference to Jake as Gracie's daddy but thankfully she didn't re-open that can of worms. Jake and I decided that we wouldn't expose Gracie to the harshness of her origins. All she needed to know was that she had both a mommy and a daddy who love her dearly; sadly Alice didn't seem to share our opinion so I've had to deal with little comments here and there. Emily broke up the tension of the moment by handing out the remaining bouquets and we made our way to the beach.

The volume of the music had increased from subtle melodies to full on ambience. Everyone seated turned around, their faces beaming as the procession began. Seeing the sheer chiffon of the bridesmaid gowns flow in the wind as they walked bare footed down the aisle was nothing short of magical. Lastly Emily took her place, and then with a wink back at me, she proceeded to the top of the aisle with Gracie on her hip.

I stepped forward digging my toes into the sand to find my grounding once again. I looked up to find that every pair of eyes rested upon me, and audible gasps were heard throughout the group as I came into view. I briefly scanned the faces of my loved ones, but immediately began searching for the only set of eyes that mattered. Once they met mine, I felt warmth that sunk down to my toes. That warmth began drawing me toward Jake and there wasn't a force on the planet that could keep my feet in their place. It took everything inside of me to keep my pace in time with the music, but I painstakingly made my way to his side.

As I passed my father seated on the first row he stood and hugged me warmly, planting a light kiss on my forehead. "You're as beautiful as your mother was at our wedding."

"Thank you dad, I love you."

"I love you too, kiddo. Now go get married."

I smiled at him and my mother who sat teary eyed beside him, and turned back toward Jacob. As I approached him he stepped forward and took my hand into his. Emily subtly took my bouquet and I slipped my other hand within his as well. As the preacher began to speak, I felt him begin to lightly stroke my knuckle with his thumb. As the ceremony moved on through the incidental greetings, I caught Jake's gaze and softly whispered, "Hi."

"Hey baby, you look more than amazing." His words caused me to blush furiously. "You do too, I love the tie." At that he flashed me a brilliant smile; blushing a little as well.

We were both brought back to the present when Sam handed Jacob and a small silver band and the preacher asked, "Jacob Black, will you take Bella Swan as your wife? Will you promise to love, honor and to keep her, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death parts you?"

In that moment time stood still, to where it was just he and I, and I found that I stopped breathing until he looked deeply into my eyes and answered in a steady voice, loud and clear. "I will." He slid the band onto my finger and I was able to breathe again. A glint of sunlight caught my line of sight downward, and I looked down at my finger to see the silver band was accented with a beautiful pair of diamonds with a swirl of silver around them. I gasped softly and looked up to his eyes questioning him with my eyes as to how he afforded something so extravagant. He smiled proudly and whispered, "You're worth it, love." The sincerity in his words brought tears to my eyes. I wanted to question him further but all of the sudden Emily was handing me his wedding band, and then it was my turn.

"Isabella Swan, will you take Jacob Black as your husband? Will you promise to love honor and keep him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death parts you?" There it was my line. I took a deep breath, and my voice came out much clearer than I expected. "I will."

His eyes shown with the same joyous glow that mine did, it almost felt as if we were building our own sun. Behind that joy I also recognized a hunger. His animalistic need to stake claim, and that claim would start with a kiss. I could feel the air almost tremor with expectation until finally the moment was upon us.

"Well as a result of the vows they have spoken and the power vested in me, it gives me great honor to declare that they are husb-…"

Before the line was every completely spoken, Jake pulled me into his arms and covered my mouth with his. His overzealous move solicited cat calls from the pack and ample throat clearing from the older members of our group. When he pulled away from me, my entire being felt the loss of his presence immediately which left me breathless. He took my hand and we turned to face our assembled friends and family.

"May I present to you, Jacob and Isabella Black!"

The announcement was met by a wave of applause and cheers and this time I pulled Jake to me for another kiss, albeit more subtle than the last one. All of the sudden there were bubbles everywhere as everyone saluted us and we made our exit back down the aisle, followed by our bridal party. We ran to Jake's house and slipped inside. As soon as the door closed, he pulled me to his chest.

"Bella baby I can't believe this finally happened, it so unreal! You're my wife, oh my God, you're my WIFE!"

I giggled giddily, "I know, it's surreal isn't it? But the whole thing was so amazing; Emily did one hell of a job didn't she?"

Placing his hands on opposite sides of my face, he looked me intently in the eyes, "Honey, the beach was beautiful don't get me wrong but the moment you stepped onto it I couldn't have cared less about anything else but you. You are absolutely stunning and I couldn't be prouder that you're my bride. Let's go spend time with our guests, because I can't wait to get you alone later on. You have no idea what I have in store for you later, baby."

I blushed heavily once again and I my breath caught in my throat at the intensity in his eyes. His words flowed through me and I felt my blood become molten in my veins. I leaned in to kiss him once again and softly nibbled on his bottom lip to echo his sentiment, "I can't wait either love, but for now let's focus on spending some time with our families. Then we'll have all night, not to mention forever to focus on one another." He nodded and with one last quick peck on my lips, he pulled back. With a flourish he opened the door for me and waited for me to exit first. With a curtsy I slipped outside.

It was only then that I realized that I had no idea where the reception was going to be. Jake confidently took my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction of the beach. "Um Jake, where are we going? Where will the reception be?"

He smiled mischievously and continued to tug, "You'll see, I've been waiting to see your face for months."

We turned the corner and I was halted in my tracks. Here stood a completely new house, one that I had never seen before. It was a beautiful cottage built of a combination of wood and glass. The front of the house had a large window on one side of the door, and on the other I could make out a three sided window which could only mean a window seat inside. All of the windows were trimmed in teal blue shutters with stood out against the deep chocolate brown of the house. Layered of the classic features of the house was a continuation of the beach. The lanterns and flowers continued their path on the ground up to the porch but then they stopped almost leading into the house.

I stood shell shocked, trying to figure it out until I noticed that Jacob had made his way onto the porch. He stood in front of the door with a wooden hand painted sign which read, "Welcome home." Tears streamed my cheeks as I realized that this was our home. He created this beautiful place for us, for him Gracie and me. I'd never seen anything more beautiful and all the while, I could see Jacob's hands all over it. In the way the wood had been carved to the details like the swing hanging from the porch.

Suddenly I noticed him begin to squirm, "Come on Bella, please say something. Do you like it? I mean I know it's not the huge house you have with Charlie but I didn't make a single part without you in mind."

I ran to join him on the porch. "Oh Jake, I love it! It couldn't be any more perfect! I don't want something exactly like my dad's house, if you remember he and my mother chose that house. I never had any input. It's completely amazing but I don't understand where the reception is again?"

He chuckled again, "Come on and I'll show you."

He turned and led me off of the porch and began walking around the house. Just at that moment I realized that I hadn't yet seen the inside. "Wait Jake, I want to see inside."

The mischievous smile returned, "You will, but not quite yet."

At that moment, we turned around the corner of the house and for the millionth time that day my breath was completely stolen. There before me was our reception, complete with larger than life paper lanterns hanging from a tall latticework made of wood which hung over a wooden dance floor laid over the grass. Near the house, the musicians from the ceremony had assembled and soft classical music floated about. Surrounding the dance floor were tables laid with Ivory lace table cloths and accented with teal blue napkins and center pieces in many different shades of white, ivory, and pale pink. Skirting the dance floor opposite the musicians, were serving tables piled high with food which smelled completely amazing. At the end of the row stood a cake table with the most beautiful cake I'd ever seen with a pile of presents at the base. The cake was a tiered square shape, decorated with cherry blossoms trailing along the side. Secretly I couldn't wait to taste it. But all in all, my favorite detail was upon looking up into the trees, I found that hanging among the branches were old crystal chandeliers glowing as the afternoon grew later. The entire thing couldn't have been setup better if I had put it together myself.

Every one of our family friends was mingling about visiting while others were swaying the music on the dance floor. Upon noticing our arrival, Emily slipped over the band and stepped up to the microphone. "Well everyone it appears that our bride and groom have arrived. Please join me in welcoming Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Black to the party!"

Jake raised our joined hands as we proudly paraded into the group and immediately he took the mic from Emily which surprised me. "Thank you so much everyone for joining us to celebrate this day with Bella and I. I couldn't think of any place more fitting to start our lives as man and wife than the home built especially for the two of us. Now the first thing I would love to do is to enjoy a dance with my gorgeous bride."

The crowd echoed with ooh's and awe's as he met my eyes and walked over to meet me. Taking my hand once again he led me onto the dance floor and the flow of music began. He began to purposefully sway, leading me in the most mesmerizing dance of my life. I couldn't even worry about missing the steps because it seemed that we were completely in sync. Then all of the sudden he stopped. Kissing me sweetly he whispered, "Wait, something is missing. This has to be perfect." Turning away he rushed off to Emily and swept Gracie into his arms. Leaning into her ear he whispered something that we could not hear but which made her smile an infectious grin. They returned and we began to dance again, and even while holding her he still moved with an incredible grace. I kissed her sweetly on the forehead and leaned mine against Jake's cheek, "I love you both so much. This is what makes today perfect."

Our dance was over all too soon, but I was quickly swept away into the arms of one after another of our many friends as they carried me around the dance floor even though no others were as smooth as Jake. Luckily as soon as I felt dizzy enough that I couldn't keep dancing, I was being whisked off toward the cake table. I enjoyed the thrill of smashing cake into Jake's face until he leaned over and kissed me smearing his soiled face against mine. The cake was delicious just like I thought it would be as well as the food. I would have to remember to ask Emily how she had coordinated it all without my knowing.

After the food had all been served, evening had fallen and Gracie was sleeping heavily on Sam's Carlisle's shoulder. In looking at the wonderful night that had unfolded before my very eyes, I felt the overwhelming need to say thank you. Standing I stepped over in front of the microphone, and softly cleared my throat to draw attention. Jake turned from where he stood talking to the pack, a smile lighting up his face, although I could see the exhaustion behind his eyes.

"Okay everyone, if I could please have your attention? I just wanted to take a moment to really say thank you to each and every one of you. Not only for everything that you've done for both Jake and I, but also for your love and support through what has been a very trying time for both of us. I couldn't imagine anything more amazing than this incredible day and I look forward to what our lives will bring going forward. So before this night ends and I don't get a chance to say it, please, I just want to say thank you and that we love each of you so much."

Jake strode up to meet me and kissed me as he pulled me into his side, "Bella couldn't have said it any better. We love you guys so much! Honestly there was a time when I didn't know that I would ever see this day come to pass but now that it has, I don't think there could be a more grateful man on the face of this planet. This will mean really great things for our family, our tribe, and our pack. Not to mention our allies and newest additions to our family, the Cullens. It's my hope that this day would dissolve the division between the two sides, and that we learn that standing united is far better than when we're focused on one another as enemies."

Many applauded, and all the while Emily slipped up to the front and took the mike from Jake.  
"Okay everyone, the time has come to give our love birds the big send off. If you will excuse the ladies, we will still our bride away so she can get ready so if everyone would please assemble out front we can finish this night out right!"

With that she took my hand and led me back toward her home nearby, followed by Alice, Rachel, and Leah; leaving the guys to direct traffic. Once there she helped me change into a black satin and lace corset, complete with garter belt and black thigh highs and tall black heels. Over the top she helped me to slip into a tea length satin gown in shimmering ivory. Wearing something so sexy underneath a garment which appeared so innocent sent a tingle of excitement through my entire core. When everything was finally in its place, we turned to go. Until I had a thought, "Wait, Emily! What are we going to do with Gracie during….everything?"

She smiled and laughed warmly, "Oh don't worry honey, Sam and I will be watching Gracie to give you guys some time. Heck Charlie and the Cullens have even volunteered to have her stay with them a bit to give you guys more time together. Enjoy it."

I hugged her warmly, "Thank you so much Emily, for everything that you've done for me and Jake today. You've coordinated everything to a such a t."

She hugged me back in kind, "Okay honey, we'd better get back. I know Jake is um…anxious to see you."

I playfully shoved her toward the door and we giggled as we walked outside. She led me back toward my new home and soon we were approaching the group of our guests who lined the path leading to our porch. Jake waited for me at the start of the path and his eyes travels up and down my dress and heat built within me under his gaze. Suddenly sparklers began to shine everywhere and he looked to me, "Are you ready for everything tonight holds, Mrs. Black?"

"Bring it on, Mr. Black." He laughed and took my hand again, after which we trotted through the path together laughing our way through the winding path to our front porch. Upon reaching it, Jake swiftly turned to me, swept me into his arms and dipped me backward while kissing me heavily.

He brought me up, and scooped me up into his arms and carried me inside; closing the door to our home behind us.


	18. Chapter 18: Living in a Dream

**Good evening my lovelies! I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've updated but with the craziness that is life right now I've struggled with how I want to map this chapter out. On that note I have decided that sadly with this and one final chapter, this is where our story will end. I may create a sequel to it but I haven't decided for sure on that yet. Either way I want to say thank you to each of you who have been reading and reviewing through this entire process. Your support has been invaluable and I did become a little giddy each time one of your reviews would come in, I must admit. All in all I will say that I think this didn't turn out too terrible for being my first Fan Fic. With that, please enjoy this second to last chapter. **

**A/N: And as always, I do not own any part of Twilight, its characters, or its themes as Stephenie Meyers wrote them. **

**Chapter Eighteen: Home Sweet Home**

**Jacob POV**

I pulled Bella up into my arms bridal style (pun intended) and we disappeared across the threshold of our home with a flourish. After closing the door behind us I kissed her deeply until I sensed her breath quicken then I pulled my lips from hers, smiling as I sensed her disappointment.

"Patience Mrs. Black, we have all night long and believe me I will spend almost every moment making sweet love to you. But first, why don't you take a look around our new home?"

Once I called her attention to that particular detail a huge smile broke out across her face and her eyes glowed with growing curiosity. I held my breath as she turned around and the moment I had anticipated for weeks was finally upon us. She let out an audible gasp and she took in the warm glowing aura of hundreds of white candles which sat on every available surface throughout our living room.

Smooth redwood floors ran from wall to wall and in the center of the open living room floor a huge shaggy ivory colored rug laid spread out in front of a fireplace made up of large natural river stones. A warm fire crackled from within and the smell of burning wood brought with it a feeling of home. The furnishings which surrounded the rug were mismatched but fit well with the theme, at least I thought so. Memories of how Alice wrinkled her nose at that brought a smile to my lips. Screw what she thought I didn't want our home to be like theirs, cold and filled with designer pieces. I wanted this place to draw us to it, to be warm and inviting and full of natural charm. Kind of like me, I guess.

She caught my attention as she ran her fingertips along the smooth surface of a particularly large stone set just above the large redwood mantle. Upon it sat pictures of her and me, taken in various stages of childhood and friendship. One of us as children, with our arms draped carefree over each other's shoulders as we came back up the beach soaked from swimming. Another of us in our teens, sitting around a fire with our friends; it was one of my favorites because it caught her out of surprise and she had just begun to blush. Lastly, a third picture held a shot of me, her and Grace as we sat swinging on a bench swing at the park in town. I smiled again as I remember that it was the very swing that inspired me to install one on our very own porch. As her eyes fell on the photo it appeared that she caught onto the same memory.

She walked up to me wearing an unreadable expression and surprised me by kissing my shoulder and walking past me before I could stop her. Following the flow of the room, she made her way into the dining room, which was filled by a large rustic dining table set. In the center sat a bountiful floral arrangement of white hydrangeas interspersed with lilies (her favorite flowers), courtesy of Alice. The woman definitely knew her way around a flower shop.

The tabletop was filled from end to end by a spread of fruits and desserts complete with a bottle of champagne with some expensive name I couldn't pronounce chilling in a bucket over ice; which was generously provided by the Cullens. If it hadn't been a gift from Carlisle and Esme I would've politely declined something so expensive, but Esme had insisted that Bella would love it and it would complement the fruit spread. Bella had made her way into the kitchen complete with painted white cabinets and countertops made of butcher block wood, all the while running her fingertips along the surface of the counters. When she turned to face me again, her eyes shone bright with unshed tears. I immediately rushed to her, running my thumb along her cheekbone, "Bella honey what is it, what's wrong?"

She shook her head softly, blinking back the tears, "Nothing, it's just…nothing. I'm fine." She attempted a shaky smile but her voice was raw with emotion and I couldn't understand what had upset her so.

"Come on honey, talk to me. What has gotten you so upset? Would you like something different?"

Her eyes grew wide her expression one of surprise, "Oh no! Is that what you think? That's not it at all." She stroked my hand and pulled it away to kiss my palm gently. "Nothing is wrong, it's just so incredibly perfect. I keep trying to figure it out; how did you do all of this, and without me knowing?"

I almost imploded with pride at her compliment. All of the sudden I could no longer contain myself and I grabbed her hand almost yanking her off of her feet as I hurried to show her the rest of the house. We scurried down the hallway open door after door to reveal closets, a guest bathroom, and a small family room. During the entire trek I was continually rambling through explanations of each while she and oh'd and aah'ed until at last we reached a doorway to the right. I paused just before opening the door and turned to her.

"Now this is something special that I have been working on. No one has seen it, aside from Alice, Esme, me, and now you. I think that it turned out well but you'll have to let me know what you think. Please me honest with me, okay?" She nodded in agreement, eyes wide as saucers in anticipation of what she would find on the other side of the door. On that note, I turned the handle and the door drifted open to reveal my prize, Gracie's bedroom.

She stepped past me and into the delicately decorated room. The walls were a sweet shade of pink, accented with furniture painted a clean shade of white. The designs seemed very fitting of little girl's room, thanks to Esme's feminine touch. I held my breath as I waited for her to look upward. When she did the answering gasp was very rewarding. Suspended from the ceiling were dozens of tiny butterflies dye cut from what and ivory lantern paper and hanging at varying lengths of clear wiring, giving them effect of flying in cloud. Stretching onto her toes she reached up and grazed one of the tips of her fingers along one causing it to sway softly, and a small giggle escaped her, as well as a soft whisper, "Perfect."

She then reached over to lift a large pink plush bunny rabbit from its seat in a large chocolate brown glider which sat in the corner. Sitting down in its place she hugged it to her chest as fresh tears streamed her cheeks.

"She is going to absolutely love it. I couldn't have imagined anything more fitting for her even if I had built it with my own two hands. And it means so much that you've made this for her. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees this and realizes that it's all for her. What have I ever done to deserve someone as amazing as you, Jacob?"

I stepped forward and slipped my hand into hers, pulling it up to meet my lips. "You don't have to anything love, you being you makes you so much more than deserving of the best that I can ever give you. Grace too, I want to give her everything that her heart desires and she deserves all of the happiness in the world. But for now, we've seen everything but one final room. Are you ready to see your bedroom, Mrs. Black?"

As she recognized the molten look in my eyes, the whole mood completely shifted. She rose, replacing the bunny into the glider and made her way to stand in from of me. "I am so ready." With that, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down within her reach, bringing my lips to meet hers.

**Bella POV:**

As the warmth of his mouth covered my own, I immediately felt my body react to his close proximity. I became overwhelmed in his scent, a head woodsy aroma of salty ocean air and the forest, mixed with the crisp clean smell of his cologne. He continued to kiss me heavily until I felt that my lungs would explode but still I didn't want to pull away.

He chuckled against my lips. "I know, so very eager."

I couldn't think of who he would be talking to this gave me reason to pause, eyeing him warily. "What?"

A slight blush tinted his cheeks as he smiled sheepishly. "Oh nothing, my wolf was just admiring your intensity love. He loves how eager you are."

This time it was my turn to blush, and I immediately dropped my gaze to the floor. Within moments he placed two fingers under my chin and pulled my face back up and held it in place until I brought my eyes to again meet his.

"No Bella, you completely misunderstood my point. That was meant as a compliment sweetheart. It was in no way meant to criticize or embarrass you. We want you to feel free saying anything and be completely open and honest in expressing your feelings. Don't ever thing that you need to hide anything from me, okay?

I nodded and attempted another wavering smile. He smiled back warmly moving his palm to cup my jaw and leaned in to kiss me again. His tender kisses again became more pressing as he began to travel down along my jaw then nibbling on my ear lobe he began to make his way down the side of my neck. As I became lost in the sensations I felt him stop and sigh. "Uh, Mrs. Black?"

I sighed and leaned back into his chest as I slide my arms back around his neck and tugged him toward me again, answering in just above a whisper. "Yes, Mr. Black?"

"I think it would be time that we moved to our own bedroom, don't you? That is, unless, you feel that we should defile our daughter's bedroom before she's ever had the chance to see it?"

I opened my eyes and immediately the realization dawned that we still stood in the middle of Gracie's bedroom amongst the pink walls, white furniture, and glider complete with bunny. I turned around to face him and found that he looked just as sheepish as I felt. We both chuckled and he took my hand again, leading me out of Gracie's room then down to the end of the hall to stand outside of yet another door.

I held my breath, anxious to see the other side. A quick glance over at Jacob revealed his nerves as well. He turned to me and smiled sheepishly and leaned in for a chaste kiss on the lips. "Now Bella honey, if I want you to be honest, nothing is permanent so if you don't like any part of it we can change it however you like okay?"

I forced him to pause with a hand over his mouth, "Jake, I'm sure you did an amazing job, if the rest of the house is any indication I'm sure I won't be disappointed." Wrapping my arms around his neck I pulled him for one more kiss before turning toward the door again. With a deep breath I placed my hand on the handle and turned it, allowing the door to drift open to reveal our master bedroom.


	19. Chapter 19: Our Wedding Night

_**Good evening for the final time my lovelies. It's hard to believe that we've come to the end of our little tale. I had no idea that the story would carry through this far and I'm proud of this as my first Fan Fic. I appreciate every one of you who have followed, favorite, reviewed, or even commented on my story. It honestly and truly means the world to me and for all of it I say thank you. Without much further ado here is our final chapter.**_

**A/N: I do not claim to own any of the stories, characters, or a theme as Stephenie Meyer has written them. However, as I've stated on a few different occasions, my twist on the story is all my own. **

**Chapter Nineteen: Our Wedding Night**

**Bella POV:**

As the door drifted open, instead of allowing me to step in ahead of him, Jacob took me by the hand and led me inside. As with the rest of the house the warmth of the room enveloped me; but here in this room I could see the handiwork of no one but him, my husband.

The room was modestly furnished, with large wooden furniture and a largely overstuffed chair in the corner, seated below an over-hanging lamp. A door off to the side apparently led to an en suite bathroom, and from inside I could smell soap and oils which were I hoped the result of a bubble bath which awaited us. A large four poster bed sat against the far wall and across from it a large bay window with a window seat. As we passed it I ran my finger tips along the worn fabric of an embroidered quilt which lay at the foot of the mattress. The bed was accented with four large fluffy pillows which sat at the headboard and two small tables along side.

"They're made from driftwood I pulled from the beach, considering the amount of time we've spent there it only seemed fitting. And the quilt, it was my mother's; she kept it on their bed for as long as I can remember." Jake's voice pulled me out of my reverie and my mind was flooded with memories of the many times we had spent together at the beach.

I had to pull myself back into the moment when I caught him smiling at me, "What?"

"Nothing honey, I'm just glad that they sparked the same feelings in you as they did in me while I built them. It just proves the hunch was right."

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. "Jake, love, from everything that I've seen, it appears that all of your hunches were beyond right. This home is so much more than I could have ever asked for." I nibbled slightly on his lower lip then stepped back a little. As I did, I reach back and began to untie the corset which held my dress on. "And I must admit that all of this is a HUGE turn on." I could see the heat building in his eyes almost instantly as my dress fell loose against my frame. The moment I'd awaited was upon me and I mustered every bit of courage and tugged on the last vestiges of my corset, allowing my dress to pool at my feet.

**Jacob POV**

I couldn't contain the gasp that escaped my lips as her dress disappeared, leaving her standing in a black corset and matching lace thong. A low rumble rolled through my chest as my wolf growled his approval. The alabaster of her skin contrasting against the ivory of the corset was nothing short of breathtaking and the realization that I didn't have to hold back was a very exciting prospect. Without dropping contact with my eyes she stepped toward me again until her body was once again pressed again mine. The sensation caused by the coolness of her skin in combination of the heat of my own was positively electric. As our lips embraced I allowed my hands to roam over the curves of her body. From the frailty of her shoulders, down her sides now covered with satin, followed by her hips and then down over the curves of her perfectly shaped behind. Massaging it deeply I then lifted her up into my arms and was pleasantly surprised as her legs found their way around my waist. She wound her fingers through my hair and tugged gently, spurring an action of my own. After carrying my bride over to our bed and setting her down onto the edge of the high set mattress, I was grateful to have made it to sit so high. Bella sat just above waist high on me, which positioned her perfectly to allow me access to all of her. Winding my hands through her hair I wrapped the length of her hair around my wrist and firmly tugged, pulling her chin upward and allowing my access to the sensitive flesh of her neck.

My target was the soft spot just at the base of her neck and once my lips found it I was rewarded by a soft moan drifting from her lips. Her legs tightened their grip around my waist and her hips began to push their way against mine. I pulled back and once against met her eyes while reaching around behind her shoulders, "Honey, this is by far the sexiest thing I've seen you in, however it's got to go." She looked at me warily until she felt the fabric give way as it tore beneath my grip. Realization heated her gaze and she allowed the torn shreds to fall away, leaving her bare aside from the tiny scrap of fabric which supposedly served as her underwear.

The heat between us continued until both she and I had to pull away. She in turn surprised me by pulled me across her and in a moment I found myself on my back on the bed. As my mind registered that she had in fact put me into that position, I found her leaning over me, and in a moment she was seated on top of me kissing me again.

Oh yes, tonight will be an amazing night.

**The End**

_**Well, with that my lovelies, we have come to an end. I know I could have gone into more detail here but I'm sure we all know what happens from this point out. I don't feel the need to lay out the explicit details. Although I will say it's hard to see this come to an end, it's definitely time for a new direction. I very well may start a new fic, you never know. What for more to come from me, I'll definitely tell you that. As for this story, I'm happy to have had an opportunity to write out a happily ever after that Bella, Jake, and even baby Gracie deserve at this point. **_


End file.
